Table 1 Foundational concepts for maternity prioritization and allocation schema

Gravidity and parity are not considered for priority

A pregnant woman's 'role in society' is not considered

   Exception is health care workers providing direct patient care

No value judgments (and thus alterations in priority status) are considered on socioeconomic or lifestyle specifics of each patient

To be considered in the maternity schema the women must have a clinically confirmed and presently viable pregnancy:

   Usual clinical parameters confirming pregnancy (that is, auscultation of fetal heart tones by medical provider, obvious uterine enlargement due to a fetus, visible fetal movement, and so on)

   Ultrasound documentation of intrauterine pregnancy

   Pregnant women with significant medical comorbidities may receive lower priority than those without (may 'screen out' when applying clinical exclusion criteria)