新型コロナウイルス感染症の流行に伴って医療従事者が経験した職務上の倫理的問題

Professional Ethical Issues Experienced by Healthcare Workers in the Wake of the COVID-19 Pandemic

要旨

　目的：「職務に関連する倫理的問題」という視点で，新型コロナウイルス感染症流行下において医療従事者等が患者・利用者，あるいは自身の権利や尊厳に関して不快感を覚えた体験の一端を探り，実態を把握することである．

　方法：機縁法にて研究協力機関に調査協力を依頼し，承諾を得た13の病院・介護施設・訪問看護ステーションに従事する者を対象に，2020年7月から2021年5月の期間に2か月に1回webアンケートを送付し，計6回調査を実施した．

　結果：【医療従事者自身や家族に対する差別や偏見】【感染者対応に関する医療従事者間の軋轢】【面会やケアの制限による患者・家族の不利益】など8カテゴリー，28サブカテゴリーが抽出された．

　結論：調査期間を通して継続して抽出された倫理的問題もあり，組織として対応を検討する必要性が示唆された．

　Objectives: We investigated the experiences of healthcare workers who felt apprehension concerning the rights and dignity of hospital patients, nursing home patients, and themselves during the COVID-19 pandemic from the perspective of “ethical issues related to labor,” and attempted to assess the actual circumstances.

　Methods: A total of 13 hospitals, nursing homes and home nursing stations cooperated in the survey in which a web-based questionnaire was completed once every two months from July 2020 to May 2021.

　Results: Eight categories and 28 subcategories were identified including “discrimination and prejudice against healthcare workers themselves and their families,” “conflicts among healthcare workers regarding the care of infected patients,” and “disadvantages faced by patients and their families due to visitation and care restrictions.”

　Conclusion: Several ethical issues were continuously identified during the study period, suggesting the need to consider an organizational response.