CHEST Guidelines-Special-Populations

Special-Populations_chest
Pdf Summary
The CHEST Consensus Statement on "Care of the Critically Ill and Injured During Pandemics and Disasters" aims to address the needs of special populations during large-scale emergencies. Highlighting lessons from past disasters, the document emphasizes the necessity for dedicated planning for medically fragile individuals to prevent clinical deterioration. This consensus is invaluable for frontline clinicians, hospital administrators, and public health officials managing mass critical care situations.<br /><br />Key findings include 14 suggestions on various aspects of care, such as defining which populations require specific attention, prioritizing these populations in disaster planning, ensuring regional access to specialized services, and adhering to equitable triage and resource allocation principles. Special populations include those with chronic ailments, technological dependencies, or complex medical conditions. The consensus does not separately address pediatric issues as these are integrated into broader considerations.<br /><br />The statement also underscores developing regional centers' roles, suggesting that these should have comprehensive disaster plans ready to offer expertise when local capacities are overwhelmed. Therapeutically, it suggests ensuring access to specialized pharmacists during disasters and emphasizes researching crisis care standards tailored to special populations, including ethical and clinical triggers.<br /><br />The document stresses collaboration with professional societies and government bodies, recommending they engage special population advocacy groups in preparedness efforts. Furthermore, it calls for identifying individuals at risk pre-disaster to maintain their continuum of care and reduce disruptions.<br /><br />Overall, the consensus represents a comprehensive effort to mitigate disaster impacts on vulnerable groups, urging pre-event identification, specialized planning, and integrating these patients into primary healthcare strategies. This approach, modeled partly on the successful Kidney Community Emergency Response Coalition, can safeguard and optimize care for at-risk groups during emergencies.
Keywords
pandemics
disasters
special populations
critical care
resource allocation
regional centers
crisis care standards
preparedness
vulnerable groups
healthcare strategies