Reorganising the Pandemic Triage Processes to Ethically Maximise Individuals' Best Interests

Overview

Journal Intensive Care Med

Specialty Critical Care

Date 2010 Aug 7

PMID 20689927

Citations 3

Authors

Andrew Tillyard

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Purpose: To provide a revised definition, process and purpose of triage to maximise the number of patients receiving intensive care during a crisis.

Methods: Based on the ethical principle of virtue ethics and the underlying goal of providing individual patients with treatment according to their best interests, the methodology of triage is reassessed and revised.

Results: The decision making processes regarding treatment decisions during a pandemic are redefined and new methods of intensive care provision recommended as well as recommending the use of a 'ranking' system for patients excluded from intensive care, defining the role of non-intensive care specialists, and applying two types of triage as 'organisational triage' and 'treatment triage' based on the demand for intensive care.

Conclusion: Using a different underlying ethical basis upon which to plan for a pandemic crisis could maximise the number of patients receiving intensive care based on individual patients' best interests.

Citing Articles

Allocation of intensive care resources during an infectious disease outbreak: a rapid review to inform practice.

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The Simple Triage Scoring System (STSS) successfully predicts mortality and critical care resource utilization in H1N1 pandemic flu: a retrospective analysis.

Adeniji K, Cusack R Crit Care. 2011; 15(1):R39.

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