Patient safety can be improved through the implementation of a physician reporting system, in which medical errors can be reported confidentially.

Limits on resident work hours help physicians to function at full capacity and ensure patient safety.

Triage duties in the event of a medical disaster have different ethical rules than normal situations.

The best defense against a public health emergency is a healthy population with easily accessible health care.

Physicians need to not only treat the physical injuries of terror victims but also respond to the psychological needs of patients.

Physicians have an ethical responsibility to treat patients even at the risk of their own personal safety.

The Model State Emergency Health Powers Act proposes state legislation that should be enacted to ensure an adequate and coordinated response to public health emergencies.

A physician at a large hospital in Jerusalem, Israel, describes his encounters with racism and ethnic tensions when working with both Arab and Israeli patients.

Physicians should not write prescriptions for unnecessary prophylaxis in response to patients' anxiety about a perceived threat of bioterrorism.

While physicians have a duty to treat even at the risk of their own personal safety, citizens also have minimal obligations to assist those protecting them during bioterrorism or natural disasters.