Critical care triage during the COVID-19 pandemic in South Africa: A constitutional imperative!

Critical care triage during the COVID-19 pandemic in South Africa: A constitutional imperative! S Afr Med J. 2020 Nov 05;110(12):1176-1179 Authors: Morrow BM, Gopalan PD, Joubert I, Paruk F, Pope A Abstract Triage and rationing of scarce intensive care unit (ICU) resources are an unavoidable necessity. In routine circumstances, ICU triage is premised on the best interests of an individual patient; however, when increased demand exceeds capacity, as during an infectious disease outbreak, healthcare providers need to make difficult decisions to benefit the broader community while still respecting individual interests. We are currently living through an unprecedented period, with South Africa (SA) facing the challenges of the global COVID-19 pandemic. The Critical Care Society of Southern Africa (CCSSA) expedited the development of a triage guidance document to inform the appropriate and fair use of scarce ICU resources during this pandemic. Triage decision-making is based on the clinical odds of a positive ICU outcome, balanced against the risk of mortality and longer-term morbidity affecting quality of life. Factors such as age and comorbid conditions are considered for their potential impact on clinical outcome, but are never the sole criteria for denying ICU-level care. Arbitrary, unfair discrimination is never condoned. The CCSSA COVID-19 triage guideline is aligned with SA law and international ethical standards, and upholds respe...
Source: South African Medical Journal - Category: African Health Tags: S Afr Med J Source Type: research