Table 1.

Selection of Issues Addressing Ethical Principles

Ethical principle	Relevant issues addressed
Autonomy	Remind persons of all ages to draw up (or renew) advance directives addressing relevant domains, such as accessing hospital care and ventilator support
Beneficence	Ensuring palliative care principles are addressed throughout spectrum of care, but especially for those patients not offered ventilator support posttriage
Nonmaleficence	Protecting vulnerable older persons (e.g., frail, significant cognitive decline, multiple severe comorbidities) from being ventilated and subsequently undergoing an undignified death
Distributive justice	Designing and managing a triage mechanism via an open and transparent process meant to offer the greatest good to the greatest number (“soft utilitarianism”)