Journal of the American College of Cardiology
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J. Am. Coll. Cardiol. · Jul 2020
ReviewScarce-Resource Allocation and Patient Triage During the COVID-19 Pandemic: JACC Review Topic of the Week.
The COVID-19 pandemic and its sequelae have created scenarios of scarce medical resources, leading to the prospect that health care systems have faced or will face difficult decisions about triage, allocation, and reallocation. These decisions should be guided by ethical principles and values, should not be made before crisis standards have been declared by authorities, and, in most cases, will not be made by bedside clinicians. ⋯ Transparent and clear communication is crucial, coupled with dedication to provide the best possible care to patients, including palliative care. As medical knowledge about COVID-19 grows, more will be known about prognostic factors that can guide these difficult decisions.