Is the Use of Dalys and Qalys Ethically Permissible in Triage Decisions? Covid-19 and Equity Considerations from a Queer-Crip Perspective

Datos Bibliográficos

ID12868352
AutoresLautaro Leani (0000-0002-9812-7872, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas), Ignacio Mastroleo (0000-0002-8243-9943, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas)
Año2023
Volumen22
Número1
Páginas126-154
Fecha de publicación2023-11-29
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
Revistaethic@ - An international Journal for Moral Philosophy (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 1677-2954 • E-ISSN: 1677-2954
EditorialUniversidade Federal de Santa Catarina (UFSC) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.5007/1677-2954.2023.e91703
OpenAlexW4389134508
IdiomaEN
Referencias citadas24

This paper explores the symbolic and material implications of the use of DALYs and QALYs as priority or tie-breaker criteria in triage decisions. It aims to answer the question of their ethical permissibility based on the particular case of the COVID-19 pandemic. For this purpose, theories framed in a queer-crip perspective and ethical frameworks of equity will be used. From a queer-crip perspective, the use of DALYs and QALYs in triage decisions discriminates against and excludes people with disabilities, as it allocates scarce resources based on ableist value judgments about people's quality of life, rather than on evidence. From the point of view of equity, it may imply and reinforce structural injustices involving inequities, that is, avoidable or remediable inequalities. This analysis will argue that the use of DALYs and QALYs categories in triage decisions allocates potentially life-saving resources based on ableist value judgments that lead to an unfair distribution of risks, burdens, and costs. Finally, two objections related to the relevance or necessity of using these or similar categories as criteria will be addressed: the independent cases of structural inequities and the inevitability of setting priorities in the face of a crisis

Actuarial science · Business · Economics · Equity (law · Inequality · Intergenerational equity · Medical emergency · Perspective (graphical · Political science · Public economics · Public relations · Queer · Sociology · Sustainability · Triage · Value (mathematics · Computer Science · Disaster Management and Resilience · Disaster Response and Management · Law · Medicine · Psychology