Triage Decisions in the Context of COVID-19: Old Burden, New Challenge—The Structured Approach for Intensive Care Unit Triage (SAINT) Protocol

December 2, 2020

Jänig C, Forklage R, Gurney JM, et al

Military Medicine

With this pandemic, the world has faced the limited resource reality the military care facilities face regularly. Nevertheless, now scarcity has worsened, and triage ICU care tactics have to be put into place. The text presents a decision-making flowchart based on the patient's state and the healthcare facility's overall resource state. They recommend monitoring these two factors every 24 hours; since such is considered appropriate to evaluate a patient's response to treatment and the existing material chance to keep providing it. An interdisciplinary team was put together to create this specific situation protocol, and the authors highlight how this component of their work should also be followed elsewhere since it takes away moral distress from the physicians who are directly taking care of the patients in an already hostile environment. International clinical scoring systems can be adapted to particular hospitals or clinics, but according to the shortage reality we live in, sadly, they can not be the only factor in the triage equation anymore.

Jänig C, Forklage R, Gurney JM, et al. Triage Decisions in the Context of COVID-19: Old Burden, New Challenge-The Structured Approach for Intensive Care Unit Triage (SAINT) Protocol [published online ahead of print, 2020 Oct 2]. Mil Med. 2020;usaa287. doi:10.1093/milmed/usaa287

Partners