Related Experiment Video
Updated: Dec 24, 2025
A Modified Sonographic Algorithm for Image Acquisition in Life-Threatening Emergencies in the Critically Ill Newborn
Published on: April 7, 2023
Medically Necessary, Time-Sensitive Procedures: Scoring System to Ethically and Efficiently Manage Resource Scarcity
Vivek N Prachand1, Ross Milner1, Peter Angelos1
1Department of Surgery, University of Chicago Medicine and Biological Sciences, Chicago, IL.
Insights
During the COVID-19 pandemic, hospitals must prioritize resources. This study introduces a scoring system to help surgeons decide which medically necessary, time-sensitive (MeNTS) procedures can proceed, balancing patient needs with public health.
Area of Science:
- Healthcare Management
- Surgical Decision-Making
- Pandemic Response
Background:
- Hospitals worldwide have reduced non-urgent surgeries due to COVID-19 resource demands.
- Essential surgical care for non-COVID-19 conditions remains critical.
- Existing surgical decision-making frameworks do not fully address pandemic-specific challenges.
Purpose of the Study:
- To present a novel scoring system for triaging medically necessary, time-sensitive (MeNTS) surgical procedures during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- To aid surgeons in clinical judgment by integrating resource limitations and transmission risks.
- To support ethical decision-making that balances individual patient care with public health imperatives.
Main Methods:
- Development of a systematic scoring system.
- Integration of factors including hospital resource availability and COVID-19 transmission risk.
- Application to the triage process for MeNTS procedures.
Main Results:
- The scoring system provides a structured approach to complex surgical triage decisions.
- It facilitates the incorporation of pandemic-related constraints into standard surgical judgment.
- The system aims to optimize resource allocation while ensuring necessary patient care.
Conclusions:
- The described scoring system offers a practical tool for managing MeNTS procedures in pandemic settings.
- This approach is adaptable to various hospital environments (academic, community, urban, rural).
- The system can inform surgical case prioritization during the pandemic and as operating room capacity recovers.
Abstract:
Hospitals have severely curtailed the performance of nonurgent surgical procedures in anticipation of the need to redeploy healthcare resources to meet the projected massive medical needs of patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Surgical treatment of non-COVID-19 related disease during this period, however, still remains necessary. The decision to proceed with medically necessary, time-sensitive (MeNTS) procedures in the setting of the COVID-19 pandemic requires incorporation of factors (resource limitations, COVID-19 transmission risk to providers and patients) heretofore not overtly considered by surgeons in the already complicated processes of clinical judgment and shared decision-making. We describe a scoring system that systematically integrates these factors to facilitate decision-making and triage for MeNTS procedures, and appropriately weighs individual patient risks with the ethical necessity of optimizing public health concerns. This approach is applicable across a broad range of hospital settings (academic and community, urban and rural) in the midst of the pandemic and may be able to inform case triage as operating room capacity resumes once the acute phase of the pandemic subsides.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
01:29Issues And Trends In Healthcare Delivery System
Cost Containment
Payment for healthcare services has historically promoted adoption of costly and often unnecessary or inefficient...
01:30Health Information Technology and Healthcare Information System
Health Information Technology, commonly called HIT, integrates advanced information systems and technology in healthcare settings. Its primary functions include:
01:15Methods of Documentation VI: Case Management Model
For example, a patient with a chronic...
01:26Methods Of Healthcare Delivery System
Managed Care System:
The managed care system is designed to control the cost while maintaining the quality of care. The patient's care from admission to discharge is planned by the primary care provider or the case manager, also known as the gatekeeper. In a managed care system, the number of care providers is...
01:14SBAR II: Application of SBAR
SBAR Report from a Nurse to a Health Care Provider
S: "Hello, Dr. Smith. This is Jane, RN, from the Med Surg unit. I am calling to tell you about Ms. White in Room 210, who is experiencing increased pain and redness at her incision site. Her recent...
01:11Secondary Healthcare System