Development of a framework for critical care resource allocation for the COVID-19 pandemic in Saskatchewan

Abstract

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic raised the possibility of overwhelming demand for critical care resources, necessitating the creation of resource allocation frameworks. • The working group who developed Saskatchewan's resource allocation framework were guided by the ethical principles of transparency, consistency, accountability, proportionality and responsiveness. Competing interests: Oksana Prokopchuk-Gauk has received consultant fees from Celgene and Takeda, an honorarium from Canadian Blood Services, and remuneration for conference travel from Octapharma; she is the chair of the National Advisory Committee on Blood and Blood Products, and co-chair of the National Emergency Blood Management Committee. No other competing interests were declared. This article has been peer reviewed.

Postoperative outcomes in surgical COVID-19 patients: a multicenter cohort study

“…Estimates of COVID-19 (Coronavirus Disease 2019) case fatalities are variable and have been reported to be between less than 1 and 7% [1][2][3][4]. Although resource utilization, such as hospitalization, and intensive care unit (ICU) admission, is well documented in COVID-19 patients, data on their surgical needs and outcomes remains limited [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8].…”

Postoperative Outcomes in Surgical COVID-19 Patients: A Multicenter Cohort Study

“…[1][2][3][4] Although resource utilization, such as hospitalization, and intensive care unit (ICU) admission, is well documented in COVID-19 patients, data on their surgical needs and outcomes remain limited. [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8] Although viral pneumonia is mostly a medical condition, infected patients may require surgery. [7][8][9][10] To provide anesthetic and surgical care to COVID-19 patients, healthcare workers have to reorganize surgical platforms, personal protective equipment protocols, and in-hospital patient trajectories to prevent viral spread to healthcare workers and other patients.…”

An ethical conundrum: Palliative care in the COVID-19 pandemic

“…These criteria are fundamentally advocating the maximization of utility, without compromising impartiality in clinical rationing (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2011; Pan American Health Organisation, 2020). Pertaining to these criteria, a number of frameworks have been further structured and developed in order to facilitate sound ethical decision-making during the pandemic (Dawson et al, 2020; National Ethics Advisory Committee, 2020; Valiani et al, 2020).…”