Every decision is context and person dependent
As described above, healthcare professionals argue that in some cases it
is very clear whether or not a patient should be admitted to the ICU.“But for the group in between, that grey area, it can be very
useful to reach a decision” [Interview 3]. In these situations,
the healthcare professionals mentioned that the AGE-ICU can contribute
to give an overview of the aspects in consideration . It is
important to estimate the chances of ICU survival based on the patients
functioning and quality of life before the acute moment. Healthcare
professionals indicate that the decision is fully context and
person depended. “So, for every patient it is actually a separate
interpretation” [Interview 1]. It is also mentioned that the tool
works both for situations where you underestimate someone’s chances and
where you overestimate the chances of survival. “But also the
other way around, when someone from a certain age is very vital and the
AGE-ICU only shows green bars, than I would think yes.. this person
chances for surviving the ICU are higher than I first estimated”
[Interview 5].