Central Govt's New Guideline: Approval of patient or his next of kin mandatory for admission to ICU

Image Source: Twitter

- Hospitals cannot admit patients to ICU without approval, central government issues new guidelines

New delhi date. 03 January 2023, Wednesday

The Union Health Ministry, in its current guidelines for admission to ICU, states that hospitals cannot admit critically ill patients to ICU if they or their families refuse. Several recommendations have been made in the guidelines prepared by 24 experts.

It states that if the treatment of a critically ill patient or illness is not possible or available and the treatment is having no effect and especially in terms of the patient's survival, keeping that patient in the ICU amounts to futile care. The guidelines state that if a patient or the patient's family is against ICU monitoring, the patient should not be admitted to the ICU.

Which patients are kept in ICU

- Low priority criteria should be considered for keeping a patient in the ICU in an epidemic or disaster situation when resources are limited.

- The guidelines state that ICU admission is required where the condition worsens after surgery or a patient who may be at risk of complications after major surgery.

- The criteria for admitting a patient to the ICU should be based on the likelihood of organ failure and the need for assistance or lack of treatment.

- Patients who experienced any major intraoperative complications such as cardiac or respiratory instability or underwent major surgery were also included in the criteria.

Conditions that the guidelines call for not admitting critically ill patients to the ICU include—refusal of admission to the ICU by the patient or the patient's family, any illness for which treatment is limited.