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●Consider creating a registry of co-workers willing to help with transportation and child , elder , and pet care .
●Assess the type of staff and skills needed beyond the immediate response so that you can begin recruitment efforts as the needs of the community change . Prepare resources to accommodate patient movement .
5 ●Establish protocols to create cohorts and enforce isolation among infected and noninfected patients .
●Enlist the infection preventionists and facility staff to establish traffic flow patterns to reduce exposure .
●Create separated spaces and create open surge space for non-life-threatening injuries .
●Establish a method for tracking patients who are sent to alternate care sites .
●Provide additional assistance to vulnerable populations , such as patients who are physically handicapped , pediatric , pregnant , have behavioral health issues , or those who use English as a second language .
●Include patient use in PPE forecasting .
change process to achieve better evidence-based care . Even the dialogue associated with obtaining clinical acceptance of PPE items is an opportunity . “ If you hit a wall [ before ], that wall might be gone now , because everybody ’ s mindset is a little different ,” Furman says .
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ( CDC ) offers the following action steps that healthcare facilities can take to stay prepared for COVID-19 , the next outbreak or emergency scenario .
➊ Protect your workforce :
●Get healthcare personnel vaccinated against COVID-19 to ensuring the health and safety of essential workforce / protect healthcare capacity .
●Screen patients and visitors for fever , respiratory symptoms , or other symptoms before entering your healthcare facility . Keep up to date on the recommendations for preventing spread of COVID-19 on CDC ’ s website .
●Ensure proper use of personal protection equipment ( PPE ). Healthcare personnel who come in close contact with confirmed or possible patients with COVID-19 should wear the appropriate personal protective equipment .
●Conduct an inventory of available PPE . Consider conducting an inventory of available PPE supplies . Explore strategies to optimize PPE supplies .
●Encourage sick employees to stay home . Personnel who develop fever , respiratory symptoms , or other symptoms should be instructed not to report to work . Ensure that your sick leave policies are flexible and consistent with public health guidance and that employees are aware of these policies .
➋ Protect your patients : ●Stay up to date on the best ways to manage patients with
COVID-19 .
●Separate patients with fever , respiratory symptoms , or other symptoms so they are not waiting among other patients seeking care . Identify a separate , well-ventilated space that allows waiting patients and visitors to be separated .
●Get vaccinated against COVID-19 and maintain other prevention measures for you and your patients .
●Consider the strategies to prevent patients who can be cared for at home from coming to your facility potentially exposing themselves or others to microorganisms , such as using
6Recruit and educate disaster volunteers , while acknowledging volunteer restrictions imposed during COVID-19 . ●Follow all existing medical staff bylaws and policies related to temporary employment .
● Consider data systems that track volunteer details , and designate staff members to attest to the credentials and competency of volunteers .
●Use a “ buddy system ” to acclimate and incorporate volunteers . 7Communicate openly and effectively — internally and externally . ●Create a single source of truth for all communications to help alleviate confusion and misunderstandings caused by inaccurate information on social media and websites .
●Establish social media and information-sharing guidelines for staff .
●Designate a spokesperson to manage the release of information to the public and media .
Reprinted with permission from Joint Commission Resources
your telephone system to deliver messages to incoming callers about when to seek medical care at your facility , when to seek emergency care , and where to go for information about caring for a person with COVID at home ; adjusting your hours of operation to include telephone triage and follow-up of patients during a community outbreak ; and leveraging telemedicine technologies and self-assessment tools .
The CDC also recommends that healthcare institutions plan for community spread of COVID-19 and other pathogens to be able to maintain healthcare services during an outbreak or emergency scenario . All hospitals should ensure their staff are trained , equipped and capable of practices needed to :
●Prevent the spread of respiratory diseases including COVID-19 within the facility
●Promptly identify and isolate patients with possible COVID-19 and inform the correct facility staff and public health authorities
●Care for a limited number of patients with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 as part of routine operations
●Potentially care for a larger number of patients in the context of an escalating outbreak while maintaining adequate care for other patients
●Monitor and manage any healthcare personnel that might be exposed to COVID-19
●Communicate effectively within the facility and plan for appropriate external communication related to COVID-19
References :
American Hospital Association . 2021 Environmental Scan . Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ( CDC ). Steps Healthcare Facilities
Can Take to Stay Prepared for COVID-19 . Feb . 25 , 2021 . ECRI / AHVAP . Evolution of Risk Mitigation in Value Analysis during the COVID-19
Pandemic . 2021 .
Gesser-Edelsburg A , Cohen R , Halavi AM , et al . Motivating healthcare professionals ( nurses , nurse assistants , physicians ) to integrate new practices for preventing healthcare-associated infections into the care continuum : turning Positive Deviance into positive norms . BMC Infect Dis 21 , 495 ( 2021 ). https :// doi . org / 10.1186 / s12879-021-06215-3
Joint Commission Resources . COVID-19 Lessons Learned : A Resource for Recovery by Deloitte & Joint Commission Resources . 2021 .
http :// www . jcrinc . com