Triage decision making for the elderly in European ICUs
The aims of the ELDICUS study are to make triage decisions for the elderly requiring intensive care unit beds in Europe more transparent, beneficial, fair and cost effective, and to aid the harmonisation of standards
across Europe.
The study is taking place throughout Europe over a period of 44 months. The main data collection period will be from month 12 to month 33. During this period all patients referred to ICU
staff will be identified and triaged (accepted and refused). Data will be obtained for APACHE II, SAPS II and MPM II, and support scores for 24 hours before, and APACHE II or SAPS II scores 36 hours after the triage
decisions, physician evaluation of patients with little benefit from ICU (DNR) patients, patients requiring ICU, ICU intermediate care or ward care, ICU interventions and therapies, TISS scores and costs for each
day, and days in the ICU and/or ward.
Information will be entered into a central database via the internet.
As a "triage score" has not yet been developed, and present severity scores have been validated only for ICU patients, any of the parameters from the severity scores may be
important. Therefore all data elements of the severity score will be assessed in the 24 hours prior to the triage.
It is anticipated that the study will generate:
A triage scoring system and triage guidelines helping ICU staff make fair and cost-effective triage decisions that maximise benefit, especially for the elderly
A consensus statement of the medical world as an input into broad social process to enhance public awareness of possibilities and problems
Conclusions and recommendations for public policy, as guidelines for a European harmonisation of standards of triage of the elderly for ICU
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