Pediatric Modification of the Medically Necessary, Time-Sensitive Scoring System for Operating Room Procedure...

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Surgery
• Healthcare Management
• Pandemic Response

Background:

• The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated a re-evaluation of surgical procedure prioritization.
• Factors like PPE conservation, infection risk, and resource allocation became critical.
• Existing adult frameworks for prioritizing operations did not fully address pediatric specific needs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To adapt an existing adult scoring system for prioritizing medically necessary, time-sensitive (MeNTS) operations for pediatric surgical patients.
• To create a scoring system that accounts for the unique medical conditions and challenges faced by children.

Main Methods:

• Modification of the adult MeNTS scoring system to create a pediatric version.
• Application of the pediatric MeNTS scoring system to 101 surgical cases (performed and deferred).
• Evaluation of the system's utility during the initial phase of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Main Results:

• The pediatric MeNTS scoring system was successfully applied to prioritize surgical cases.
• The system demonstrated a safe, equitable, transparent, and ethical approach to decision-making.
• 101 pediatric cases were analyzed, involving both performed and deferred surgeries.

Conclusions:

• The developed pediatric MeNTS scoring system offers a practical framework for prioritizing children's surgeries.
• The system is adaptable to different healthcare institutions.
• It is projected to be valuable during both the acute and recovery phases of the pandemic.