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Intensive Care Medicine
Published in: Intensive Care Medicine 11/2010

01-11-2010 | Legal and Ethical Issues

Reorganising the pandemic triage processes to ethically maximise individuals’ best interests

Author: Andrew Tillyard

Published in: Intensive Care Medicine | Issue 11/2010

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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.
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Metadata
Title
Reorganising the pandemic triage processes to ethically maximise individuals’ best interests
Author
Andrew Tillyard
Publication date
01-11-2010
Publisher
Springer-Verlag
Published in
Intensive Care Medicine / Issue 11/2010
Print ISSN: 0342-4642
Electronic ISSN: 1432-1238
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00134-010-1986-2

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