Critical care nurses are at the front lines of caring for patients with Ebola virus disease (EVD). Their constant, intimate proximity to infected patients intensifies concerns about their own health as they carry out their professional duties. The introduction of Ebola into the United States and the subsequent infection of 2 critical care nurses have instigated an intense analysis of the boundaries of professional responsibility in caring for patients infected with the virus. 1  Many providers will experience profound moral distress as they weigh their own personal risks relative to their obligations to their patients, colleagues, families, and communities, and to their profession. Although these issues are not new—we have examined them in previous outbreaks of HIV, 1  tuberculosis, severe acute respiratory syndrome 2  —the virulence and high contagion of EVD warrant closer analysis. This column explores 4 ethical concerns related to caring for patients with EVD in the intensive...

You do not currently have access to this content.