The Critical Care Society of Southern Africa guidelines on the allocation of scarce critical care resources during the COVID-19 public health emergency in South Africa

Abstract

We thank Singh and Moodley for their detailed commentary on the Critical Care Society of Southern Africa (CCSSA) guidelines on ‘Allocation of scarce critical care resources during the COVID-19 public health emergency in South Africa’ (hereinafter ‘CCSSA 2020’). Their article highlights the lack of a uniform blueprint for triage guidelines across the world. This lack is driven, to a large extent, by clinical ethical decision-making that is confounded by, inter alia, varying clinical experience, diverse personal values, differing legal frameworks, a multitude of guidelines from professional organisations, and unique social contexts. Consequently, guidelines may differ between organisations and between countries.