Principal Investigators: Elysee Nouvet PhD, Lisa Schwartz PhD
Report (EN): Triaging Critical Care During COVID-19- Global preparedness, socio-cultural considerations, and communication
Link to Survey: https://uwo.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_e2QyBOV2dBa9ECp
Triage – The process of deciding the order of treatment of a large number of patients based on the severity of each case. In severe cases can result in treatment of only the sickest due to scarcity of resources.
This study aims to understand (1) what health care workers consider crucial to the
treatment of patients that will not be prioritized for care during the COVID-19 pandemic, (2) if and how such triage plans will be shared with the affected populations, as well as (3) what social and cultural considerations are important during such communication. We will be conducting virtual interviews with 50 healthcare workers around the world that are involved in triage guideline implementation during the current COVID-19 pandemic. Alternatively, participants can submit written reflections to key questions via LimeSurvey. Descriptive analysis will be employed to identify patterns and differences in the data collected. An open-access report will be published with the results and a webinar produced in partnership with the World Health Organization (WHO) Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network (GOARN) Research working group. These findings will help healthcare organizations and governments across the world develop and implement triage guidelines and relevant communication strategies that take into account contextual differences. This study is a collaboration between Western
University, Humanitarian Healthcare Ethics Research Group, and the WHO COVID-19 social sciences research committee.
Humanitarian Health Ethics 