An article in the Medical Journal of Australia is urging state health departments to publish their triage frameworks, which determine how patients are prioritised when a hospital system is overwhelmed.
QUT health law expert and lead author Eliana Close says difficulty finding the frameworks puts frontline health staff in a difficult position as they are forced to navigate the legal minefield that unclear triage rules present.
Queensland’s triage rules were published on the Queensland Health website in April last year, but it was soon taken down with Chief Health Officer Jeanette Young later saying she didn’t feel comfortable making the rules during the COVID-19 pandemic