Last update:
06-Mar-2024

The provision of medical care on the battlefield is different from that in peacetime, because health professionals face massive health losses, due to the evolution of weapons systems, while having limited logistical resources at their disposal. The purpose of this literature review is to examine both the particular prevailing conditions that determine the provision of medical care on the battlefield and the problems that arise due to the dual loyalty of military medical personnel, as well as to highlight the ethical dilemmas faced by health professionals. This is a literature-based study, founded on a bibliographic search of the PubMed and Cochrane Library databases using appropriate keywords. The bibliographic research showcased that the main ethical dilemmas that arise are the sorting of the wounded and the setting of priorities in the provision of medical care, the treatment of enemy forces, prisoners of war, terrorists and local population, the participation of medical staff in the interrogation process, obtaining the patient's consent and compliance with medical confidentiality. Answers to these dilemmas are given through NATO's official triage directives, through the Geneva Conventions, which set out the framework for dealing with prisoners of war and their rights, through the Code of Medical Ethics and the principles of bioethics.

Key words: Battlefield, Bioethics, Dilemmas, Medical care, Military.