COVID-19 rapid guideline: critical care in adults

Excerpt

The purpose of this guideline is to maximise the safety of patients who need critical care during the COVID-19 pandemic, while protecting staff from infection. It will also enable services to make the best use of NHS resources.

On 12 February 2021, we added advice to follow NHS England’s interim clinical commissioning policies on tocilizumab and sarilumab for treating critically ill patients with COVID-19 pneumonia.

This guideline focuses on what you need to stop or start doing during the pandemic. Follow the usual professional guidelines, standards and laws (including those on equalities, safeguarding, communication and mental capacity), as described in making decisions using NICE guidelines.

This guideline is for:

1. health and care practitioners

2. health and care staff involved in planning and delivering services

3. commissioners.

The recommendations bring together:

1. existing national and international guidance and policies

2. advice from specialists working in the NHS from across the UK. These include people with expertise and experience of treating patients for the specific health conditions covered by the guidance during the current COVID-19 pandemic.

We developed this guideline using the interim process and methods for developing rapid guidelines on COVID-19 in response to the rapidly evolving situation. We will review and update the recommendations as the knowledge base develops using the interim process and methods for guidelines developed in response to health and social care emergencies.