A Web-based Information System for the Management of ICU Beds During the Coronavirus Outbreak

With the world pandemic generated by Covid-19, many places in the world are not able to rapidly measure the number of intensive care unit (ICU) beds existing and available in a city, state, or country. Knowing precisely the number of ICU beds in real-time is very important to estimate the health system collapse and to create strategies for the government to provide new ICU beds for patients. Thus, at Rio Grande do Norte, a state in Brazil, the State Health Department requested us to rapidly develop a technology to integrate ICU beds and patient data related explicitly to Covid-19 from the 58 health units (hospitals and clinics) in the state. Thus, this article presents the methodology and strategies used for the development and implementation of a web information system, called Leitos, for the management of ICU and semi-ICU beds assigned to Covid-19 patients. Nowadays, more than 200 government agents and clinical unit staff are using this system that presents the real-time situation of the ICU beds in this state.