Medical Liability of the Vaccinating Doctor: Comparing Policies in European Union Countries during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Carlotta Amantea, Maria Francesca Rossi, Paolo Emilio Santoro, Flavia Beccia, Maria Rosaria Gualano, Ivan Borrelli, Joana Pinto da Costa, Alessandra Daniele, Antonio Tumminello, Stefania Boccia, Walter Ricciardi and Umberto Moscato
Additional contact information
Carlotta Amantea: Section of Occupational Health, Department of Health Science and Public Health, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Largo Francesco Vito 1, 00168 Rome, Italy
Maria Francesca Rossi: Section of Occupational Health, Department of Health Science and Public Health, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Largo Francesco Vito 1, 00168 Rome, Italy
Paolo Emilio Santoro: Department of Women, Children and Public Health Sciences, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS, Largo Francesco Vito 1, 00168 Rome, Italy
Flavia Beccia: Section of Hygiene, Department of Health Science and Public Health, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Largo Francesco Vito 1, 00168 Rome, Italy
Maria Rosaria Gualano: Department of Public Health Sciences and Paediatrics, Università di Torino, Via Giuseppe Verdi 8, 10124 Torino, Italy
Ivan Borrelli: Section of Occupational Health, Department of Health Science and Public Health, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Largo Francesco Vito 1, 00168 Rome, Italy
Joana Pinto da Costa: EPI Unit, Instituto de Saúde Pública, Universidade do Porto, Rua das Taipas, n° 135, 4050-600 Porto, Portugal
Alessandra Daniele: Section of Occupational Health, Department of Health Science and Public Health, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Largo Francesco Vito 1, 00168 Rome, Italy
Antonio Tumminello: Section of Occupational Health, Department of Health Science and Public Health, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Largo Francesco Vito 1, 00168 Rome, Italy
Stefania Boccia: Section of Hygiene, Department of Health Science and Public Health, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Largo Francesco Vito 1, 00168 Rome, Italy
Walter Ricciardi: Section of Hygiene, Department of Health Science and Public Health, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Largo Francesco Vito 1, 00168 Rome, Italy
Umberto Moscato: Section of Occupational Health, Department of Health Science and Public Health, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Largo Francesco Vito 1, 00168 Rome, Italy

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 12, 1-11

Abstract: In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic exhausted healthcare systems around the world, including European Union countries, with healthcare workers at the frontline. Therefore, new health laws and policies have been introduced at the national level in order to offer greater legal protection for health workers. Since the introduction of COVID-19 vaccination, it has led to the development of specific laws to define the compulsoriness for particular categories. This review aimed to evaluate the system of medical liability, focusing on the ten countries of the European Union with the highest rate of vaccination coverage against SARS-CoV-2. A country-by-country analysis was conducted on the different medical liability systems of individual professionals, in general, and with specific focus on the vaccinating doctors. Additional search was conducted to investigate which European states have introduced specific policies in this field, to identify the implementation of any new laws alongside the COVID-19 vaccination campaigns, and to assess which countries have adopted the European Digital COVID Certificate and funded specific compensation programs for COVID-19 vaccination. Our results highlight an extremely fragmented European scenario; therefore, this work could be a starting point to define a common approach for medical liability and related policies in the COVID-19 pandemic.

Keywords: medical liability; COVID-19; vaccination; health policy; European countries (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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