COVID-19 Patient Surge and Scarce Resource Allocation

This resource page was reviewed in Fall 2023.

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced many healthcare systems to adopt crisis practices that would normally be considered a compromise to usual standards of care. Strategies to address patient surge management and the allocation of scarce resources, such as Crisis Standards of Care (CSC) are policy, regulatory, and systems changes implemented when the duration of crisis care practices is prolonged. The resources on this page can help healthcare and emergency management planners prepare for surges of COVID-19 patients. (Note: Some resources are listed under more than one category.)

If you are a clinician treating a patient, please refer to the National Institutes of Health Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Treatment Guidelines. If you have tools, templates, or other resources to contribute to this toolkit, please contact our Assistance Center.