Page - 499 - in VULNERABLE - The Law, Policy and Ethics of COVID-19

499Risking It All: Providing Patient Care and Whistleblowing During a Pandemic the duty to provide care to patients during a pandemic is not unlim- ited. Regulated health care professionals enjoy the benefit of seeking guidance from their professional bodies and associations regarding the scope of their duty. PSWs, by contrast, are unregulated health care providers. They have been impacted during the COVID-19 cri- sis because of the nature of their work in the LTC setting and the poor working conditions they have encountered. We believe it may be time to consider whether PSWs should be self-regulating, as this could offer greater clarity about the standard of care to be provided to patients during pandemics and otherwise. Given the significant risks health care workers face on the front lines, it has been deeply trou- bling to learn that governments and health care institutions have not always met their responsibilities to provide safe working conditions for health care workers. Health care workers have also played a critical role as whistle- blowers by disclosing unethical and illegal practices. Although this is not a new role, whistleblower protection for health care workers continues to be piecemeal at best. Given the importance of whistle- blowing to patient safety and public health, we believe a comprehen- sive framework composed of legislation, professional guidance, and institutional processes is greatly needed.