A model for decision making for intensive care unit admission in source limited hospitals

Abstract EN

Background : Demand for ICU beds is exceeding its supply.

Since the sources are limited in some centers, it is necessary to design a model to identify the patients who benefit more from ICU beds.

Objectives : The present study aimed to develop a model to prioritize adult patients according to their clinical indications by a three rounded Delphi method study.

Patients and Methods : In this study, 22 physicians who practiced in a source limited hospital in southern Iran were invited to participate in a three phase Delphi survey.

Results : At first, the panelists recommended 30 indications.

The indications in the first checklist plus those obtained by literature review formed the second checklist which contained 36 items.

The items were scored from 0 to 10 by the panelists.

According to the scores, the indications were categorized into three priority levels, which were confirmed by the panelists in the third round.

Conclusions : This simple checklist contains the indications for ICU admission categorized into three priority levels.

This checklist can be considered as a guide for physicians who practice in hospitals with limited number of ICU beds.