Union Health Ministry has recently released new protocols for the admission and discharge of patients in Intensive Care Units (ICUs). These guidelines stipulate that critically ill individuals cannot be admitted into ICUs if they or their families decline such care. The decision to admit a patient to the ICU should be based on the necessity for organ support or the anticipation of a deterioration in their health condition. Key health indicators like blood pressure, heart rate, respiratory rate, oxygen saturation, and neurological status must be closely monitored for those awaiting an ICU bed.

This set of guidelines was formulated by a group of 24 distinguished doctors, including specialists from Dubai and Canada. They advocate against ICU admissions for patients if their condition is governed by a treatment limitation plan, or if they possess a living will or an advanced directive that declines ICU care. Furthermore, terminally ill patients deemed medically futile, and those categorized as low priority during pandemics or disasters due to resource constraints, should not be admitted to the ICU.

As for discharging patients from the ICU, the guidelines suggest that it should occur when there is a near return to normalcy or baseline in physiological conditions, significant resolution and stability of the acute condition that required ICU admission, and agreement from the patient or family for discharge in the case of a decision limiting treatment or for the initiation of palliative care.

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