The following is a summary of “Consensus statements for the establishment of medical intensive care in low-resource settings: international study using modified Delphi methodology,” published in the October 2024 issue of Critical Care by Kovacevic et al.
Researchers conducted a retrospective study to investigate the challenges and opportunities for establishing medical critical care in low-resource settings (LRS).
They organized an international conference on medical critical care in LRS in December 2023. Conference proceedings and literature review informed expert statements, which were broadcasted via an online survey using a modified Delphi methodology, with an agreement of ≥80% required for consensus.
The results showed that 43 out of 48 invited clinician participants came from 20 countries with various specialties and health authorities. After 2 rounds, consensus was reached for 13 out of 16 statements in 3 domains: organizational structure, staffing, and education. Participants preferred multispecialty medical intensive care units led by a medical team with formal intensive care training. Healthcare authority recognition and support were identified as critical aspects, and the panel underscored the role of professional organizations and clinician educators trained in high-income countries, while telemedicine and tele-education were highlighted as novel technologies.
They concluded that the Delphi process identified consensus-based statements for establishing sustainable patient-centered medical intensive care in LRS.
Source: ccforum.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13054-024-05113-9
