Hodge David Augustin, Collins Ebony Michelle
Director (Interim), Lead Ethicist, and Research Professor, Editor, Journal of Healthcare, Science and the Humanities, National Center for Bioethics in Research and Health Care at Tuskegee University,
Communications Manager for Richmond County, Chosen Church, Director of Care Team Ministry,
J Healthc Sci Humanit. 2024 Fall;14(1):212-219.
In 2022, Dr. Ebony Michelle Collins-a scholar, author, and vision-health advocate-suffered sudden bilateral retinal detachment and blindness following a COVID-19 infection, despite no prior history of ocular disease. Her story reveals a largely overlooked consequence of the pandemic: the potential for serious neurological and ocular complications. This paper uses narrative ethics, supported by virtue ethics, to explore the personal and ethical dimensions of COVID-19-induced neurological impairment. Narrative ethics centers patient stories to humanize clinical data, while virtue ethics emphasizes empathy and compassion in care. Dr. Collins' experience underscores the urgent need for greater awareness and research into the neurological and ocular effects of COVID-19, particularly retinal conditions such as hemorrhaging, vascular occlusion, and detachment. Her case calls for an ethically grounded, patient-centered approach in both research and clinical practice to better address the long-term consequences of the pandemic.
2022年，埃博尼·米歇尔·柯林斯博士——一位学者、作家和视力健康倡导者——在感染新冠病毒后突然双侧视网膜脱离并失明，尽管她之前没有眼部疾病史。她的故事揭示了疫情一个很大程度上被忽视的后果：严重神经和眼部并发症的可能性。本文运用叙事伦理学，并以德性伦理学为支撑，探讨新冠病毒所致神经损伤的个人层面和伦理层面。叙事伦理学以患者故事为中心，使临床数据更具人性化，而德性伦理学强调护理中的同理心和同情心。柯林斯博士的经历凸显了迫切需要提高对新冠病毒神经和眼部影响的认识并开展相关研究，尤其是对诸如出血、血管阻塞和视网膜脱离等视网膜疾病的研究。她的病例呼吁在研究和临床实践中采用基于伦理、以患者为中心的方法，以更好地应对疫情的长期后果。
