Index Entries

Ben Green
November 4, 2024
BMC Medical Ethics

"Abstract ... A significant proportion - about 20% - of the UK public felt that doctors had forgotten their Hippocratic Oath during COVID-19 lockdowns and associated vaccination programme, suggesting that recent history may have damaged the public faith in the medical profession ... 

Results ... Most of the public (83, 78.30%) thought that doctors had not forgotten their Hippocratic Oath during the COVID-19 lockdowns. Reasons for this opinion were sought and the free text answers recorded included the following: 'GPs hid behind the pandemic and continue to do so after it is over. Failing to see patients face to face and pushing their responsibilities on pharmacists, nurses and non-trained HCAs is putting lives at risk', 'They did not treat people who refused the vaccine fairly', 'Disrespect for patients', 'They wouldn’t see me', 'They pushed an unsupported narrative', 'They didn’t put patients first during this period', 'It was inhumane', 'Many people given DNR to save beds' and 'they didn’t do their best to save all lives, but made choices that led to some people dying' ...

A second question sought to separate out the experience of medical care during lockdowns and the vaccination programme, asking ‘Do you think doctors forgot their Hippocratic Oath during the COVID-19 vaccination programme?’ ...  a proportion (n = 20, 18.97%) thought they had forgotten their oath. Reasons for this opinion were sought and free text answers included: 'They administered vaccines that weren’t totally safe', 'Pushing a non-properly tested vaccine is wrong', 'They put money over health', 'Disrespect for their patients', 'Pushed an untested vaccine', 'They didn’t know if it would do harm or not'."

document
bioethics,COVID-19,healthcare