Ethical Psychological Care During a Mass Casualty Incident: A Guiding Framework

Objective: Pediatric Psychologists are increasingly more likely to live and work in communities affected by a mass casualty incident (MCI). As hospital systems begin to craft their MCI response plan, psychologists may be tasked with considering how they will meet the mental health needs of the injured in a responsible and ethical manner. Methods: We identify the relevant ethical principles and standards from the American Psychological Association (APA) Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct and discuss how one team of psychologists considered these principles through the lens of a MCI. Results: In the absence of empirical guidance available to direct these responses, we provide a framework that psychologists can use to develop an ethics-driven plan for responding to a MCI. The framework consists of several broad questions that cover the allocation of resources, the scope of psychological services that can be offered, and the eventual transition out of crisis. Conclusions: Preparing for a MCI is a difficult but necessary task. The guiding questions provided offer a foundation that psychologists can use to craft an ethics-driven response plan at their institution. Implications for Impact Little guidance has been published regarding how psychologists can attend to ethical concerns when providing care in response to a mass casualty incident (MCI). Perspectives are offered from a team of psychologists who provided services as part of a MCI response within in a pediatric hospital system. An ethics-focused framework is also presented to guide psychologists' development of their own MCI response plans.