During the Covid-19 pandemic, as resources dwindled, clinicians, health care institutions, and policymakers have expressed concern about potential legal liability for following crisis standards of care (CSC) plans. Although there is no robust empirical research to demonstrate that liability protections actually influence physician behavior, we argue that limited liability protections for health care professionals who follow established CSC plans may instead be justified by reliance on the principle of reciprocity. Expecting physicians to do something they know will harm their patients causes moral distress and suffering that may leave lasting scars. Limited liability shields are both appropriate and proportionate to the risk physicians are being asked to take in such circumstances. Under certain narrow circumstances, it remains unclear that the standard of care is sufficiently flexible to protect physicians from liability. Given this uncertainty, the likelihood that physicians would be sued for such an act, and their desire for such immunity, this limited protection is morally legitimate.

中文翻译：

---

Covid-19 大流行期间的互惠和责任保护

在 Covid-19 大流行期间，随着资源的减少，临床医生、医疗保健机构和政策制定者对遵循危机护理标准 (CSC) 计划的潜在法律责任表示担忧。尽管没有强有力的实证研究证明责任保护实际上会影响医生的行为，但我们认为，对遵循既定 CSC 计划的医疗保健专业人员的有限责任保护可能会通过依赖互惠原则来证明是合理的。期望医生做他们知道会伤害患者的事情会导致道德困扰和痛苦，并可能留下持久的伤痕。有限责任保护既适当又与医生在这种情况下被要求承担的风险相称。在某些有限的情况下，目前尚不清楚护理标准是否足够灵活以保护医生免受责任。考虑到这种不确定性、医生因这种行为而被起诉的可能性以及他们对这种豁免权的渴望，这种有限的保护在道德上是合法的。