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.