A Model for Decision Making for Intensive Care Unit Admission in Source Limited Hospitals

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.