ABSTRACT
Objective:
to know the perspectives, practices and challenges in decision-making for admitting patients into the Intensive Care Unit during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Methods:
a qualitative study developed in two public hospitals in Maranhão, Brazil, from November/2020 to January/2021. Data collection took place through individual interviews guided by a script. A total of 22 professionals participated in the study: nurses and doctors who worked in the Intensive Care Unit and Bed Regulation in the first wave of the pandemic. Content Analysis was used in the thematic mode, with support from the Qualitative Data Analysis software program for data categorization. The theory of Responsibility for Reasonableness guided the study.
Results:
two main categories emerged: “The context of the decision-making process - the paradox of celestial discharges” and “Decision-making for admission”. In the scenario of high demand, a lack of beds, and the uncertainties of the “new disease”, deciding who would occupy the bed was arduous and conflicting. Clinical and non-clinical criteria such as severity, chance of survival, distance to be covered and transport conditions were considered. It was found that the ambivalence of feelings attributed to death and care at that moment of the pandemic marked the social and technical environment of intensive care.
Conclusions:
the complexity of the decision-making process for admission to an intensive care unit was evidenced, demonstrating the importance of analyzing the allocation of critical resources in pandemic scenarios. Knowing the perspectives of professionals and their reflections on the experiences in that period can help in planning the allocation of health resources in future emergency scenarios.
DESCRIPTORS:
Covid-19; Intensive Care Units; Decision making; Beds; Patient admission