Ethics and SARS: lessons from Toronto

[...]the value of reciprocity requires society to ensure that those quarantined receive adequate care and do not suffer unfair economic penalties. 3 Privacy of personal information and public need to know A nurse at a hospital affected by SARS feels unwell and has a fever. Summary points The response to the SARS epidemic by public health, governmental, and healthcare workers raised new ethical issues Analysis of decision making in Toronto provides lessons for dealing with a global public health threat Five key ethical issues were identified and 10 underlying values Public discussion is required to resolve issues surrounding acceptable limits to individual liberty and healthcare workers' duty of care in an epidemic The decision making tool is available on bmj.com Acknowledgement: We thank Sheela Basrur for comments on an earlier version of this paper.