COVID-19: Ethical framework for asymptomatic testing of staff in workplaces

Many organisations are using or considering asymptomatic COVID-19 testing programmes for staff in their workplaces. This project brought together the findings of a consultation, literature review, and ethical and legal analysis to produce an ethical framework for these kinds of programmes.

Enabled by THIS Institute’s research platform, Thiscovery, we consulted with over 60 people working in an organisation with a testing programme already in place. Their views helped to inform practical recommendations and hypothetical illustrative examples of how they might be put into practice in 8 areas:

1. Design and operation of the programme
2. Goals of the programme
3. Properties of the test(s) selected for the programme
4. Enabling isolation
5. Choices regarding participation in the programme
6. Benefits, harms and their distribution, including opportunity costs
7. Privacy, confidentiality and data-sharing
8. Communication

We’ll soon be publishing more details about the methods and results of the consultation, and the ethical and legal analysis underpinning the framework.

At a glance