Supports clinicians working in intensive care units in low- and middle-income countries, managing adult and paediatric patients with severe forms of acute respiratory infection, including severe pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome, sepsis and septic shock.

This toolkit is intended for clinicians working in intensive care units in low- and middle-income countries, managing adult and paediatric patients with severe forms of acute respiratory infection, including severe pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome, sepsis and septic shock.

In 2020, this resource was adapted to include consideration of the COVID-19 context. The toolkit is structured by the following topics, with each one starts with a summary, followed with a list of the available tools and complementary references and resources: (i) epidemiology (including COVID-19); (ii) screening, triage and initial approach; (iii) infection prevention and control for patients with severe acute respiratory infection (SARI); (iv) monitoring the patient; (v) respiratory specimen collection and processing; (vi) oxygen therapy; (vii) antimicrobial therapy; (viii) sepsis and septic shock; (ix) acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS); (x) manage pain, sedation and delirium; (xi) liberation from invasive mechanical ventilation; (xii) best practices to prevent complications; (xiii) quality in critical care; and (xiv) ethical considerations.

Within this resource, there is a specific tool, the Interagency Integrated Triage Tool (IITT), which is a decision algorithm for sorting patients by acuity that is integral to quality of emergency care in the service delivery setting – particularly addressing the domain of timeliness. Rapidly identifying which patients need urgent care is a crucial step to an efficient patient flow that optimizes outcomes.