The American College of Chest Physicians (CHEST) has released the 2014 Care of the Critically Ill and Injured During Pandemics and Disasters: CHEST Consensus Statement. The statement aims to guide ethical decision-making, coordination of care, resource conservation, and research in disasters. The statement is intended primarily for clinicians and hospital administrators involved in planning for and providing care during disasters, but is also of great importance to officials at local, state, and national levels.
This newly released statement was developed by a task force of over 100 clinicians and experts and follows the first series of disaster critical care suggestions developed in 2008. The 2014 Care of the Critically Ill and Injured During Pandemics and Disasters: CHEST Consensus Statement updates and greatly expands the scope of disaster planning for large numbers of critically ill patients; specifically, in the core areas of hospital surge capacity, triage, and ethics. Additionally, the statement addresses for the first time: considerations for the management of special populations, specifically children; ICU evacuation; system level planning; business and continuity of operations; legal principles; provider engagement and education; and planning for resource-poor areas.
Read more:
- Editorial: Care of the Critically Ill and Injured During Disasters and Pandemics: The Ground-breaking Results from the Task Force on Mass Critical Care
- Executive Summary: Introduction and Executive Summary: Care of the Critically Ill and Injured During Pandemics and Disasters: CHEST Consensus Statement
- The complete consensus statement can be found in the Online First section of CHEST.
- Blog Post: Will Your Institution Be Ready if Disaster Strikes?