Which factors should be included in triage? An online survey of the attitudes of the UK general public to pandemic triage dilemmas

Autor: Dominic Wilkinson, Julian Savulescu, Walter Sinnott-Armstrong, Hazem Zohny, Andreas Kappes
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2020
Předmět:
Zdroj: BMJ Open, Vol 10, Iss 12 (2020)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 2020-0455
2044-6055
78540259
DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2020-045593
Popis: Objective As cases of COVID-19 infections surge, concerns have renewed about intensive care units (ICUs) being overwhelmed and the need for specific triage protocols over winter. This study aimed to help inform triage guidance by exploring the views of lay people about factors to include in triage decisions.Design, setting and participants Online survey between 29th of May and 22nd of June 2020 based on hypothetical triage dilemmas. Participants recruited from existing market research panels, representative of the UK general population. Scenarios were presented in which a single ventilator is available, and two patients require ICU admission and ventilation. Patients differed in one of: chance of survival, life expectancy, age, expected length of treatment, disability and degree of frailty. Respondents were given the option of choosing one patient to treat or tossing a coin to decide.Results Seven hundred and sixty-three participated. A majority of respondents prioritised patients who would have a higher chance of survival (72%–93%), longer life expectancy (78%–83%), required shorter duration of treatment (88%–94%), were younger (71%–79%) or had a lesser degree of frailty (60%–69%, all p
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