RT Journal Article SR Electronic T1 COVID-19 pandemic, the scarcity of medical resources, community-centred medicine and discrimination against persons with disabilities JF Journal of Medical Ethics JO J Med Ethics FD BMJ Publishing Group Ltd and Institute of Medical Ethics SP medethics-2020-107198 DO 10.1136/medethics-2020-107198 A1 Nicola Panocchia A1 Viola D'ambrosio A1 Serafino Corti A1 Eluisa Lo Presti A1 Marco Bertelli A1 Maria Luisa Scattoni A1 Filippo Ghelma YR 2021 UL http://jme.bmj.com/content/early/2021/04/06/medethics-2020-107198.abstract AB This research aims to examine access to medical treatment during the COVID-19 pandemic for people living with disabilities. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the practical and ethical problems of allocating limited medical resources such as intensive care unit beds and ventilators became critical. Although different countries have proposed different guidelines to manage this emergency, these proposed criteria do not sufficiently consider people living with disabilities. People living with disabilities are therefore at a higher risk of exclusion from medical treatments as physicians tend to assume they have poor quality of life, whereas access to medical treatment should be based on several parameters, including clinical data and prognosis. However, the COVID-19 pandemic shifts the medical paradigm from person-centred medicine to community-centred medicine, challenging the main ethical theories. We reviewed the main guidelines and recommendations for resources allocation and examined their position toward persons with disabilities. Based on our findings, we propose criteria for not discriminating against people with disabilities in allocating resources. The shift from person-centred to community-centred medicine offers opportunities but also risks sacrificing the most vulnerable people. The principle of reasonable accommodation must always be considered to guarantee the rights of persons with disabilities.There are no data in this work.