Preparing US Hospitals To Safely Manage Ebola Virus-Infected Patients: At What Cost?

Since Ebola first reached US shores this summer, hospitals nationwide have attempted to prepare. National guidance has been helpful, but no such guidance can deal with the fastidious attention to every minute and mundane aspect of caring for a patient with Ebola virus infection that could place a health care worker at risk if a breach occurs. Simulation training has helped to uncover defects and to assess our capacity to mitigate those defects. Additionally, innumerable hours of countless health care workers, hospital administrators, infection control staff, facilities and environmental services providers, communications specialists, security personnel and others have been brought to bear focused on the task at hand. Despite this effort, in the 30 years since becoming a physician, I have never witnessed a greater, more palpable level of stress and anxiety among my peers. Preparation How does a hospital prepare to safely manage an Ebola virus-infected individual? Other than pre-designated biocontainment units, the functionality of most US hospitals makes such a task difficult, if not impossible. Currently, hospital facilities require some of the following resources and equipment to effectively treat Ebola: appropriately-sized and unoccupied rooms and hallways to establish hot, warm, and cold zones to safely manage a patient as well as to don and doff personal protective equipment (PPE) close access to showers and eye wash stations a designated ultrasound machine to assist in ...
Source: Health Affairs Blog - Category: Health Management Authors: Tags: All Categories Effectiveness Hospitals Nurses Patient Safety Physicians Public Health Workforce Source Type: blogs