COVID-19: Hospital preparedness
- All hospital dependant, please check with your hospital administration for existing protocols
Prehospital Care
- ET-3 model
- Treat Onsite
Screening/Triage
- Divide the ED into different sections based on risk of having/transmitting COVID-19
- Red/Dirty/Hot zone
- Yellow/Intermediate/cool zone (optional)
- Green/Clean/Cold zone
- Set PPE levels for each section IPC for COVID
- Control movement between sections by limiting ingress/egress routes.
- Consider having all patients wear surgical masks and perform hand hygiene despite symptoms.
Screening
- Preferably outside of the ER
- Goal is to prevent them from being cohorted with non-COVID patients
- Funnel into each of your zones
- Screening Criteria - Any of the following positive, route to "red/dirty/hot/infected" side of the ED
- Symptoms - fever, respiratory symptoms, Chest pain, GI symptoms, malaise, fatigue
- Signs
- toxic appearance, AMS
- If performing vitals at screening - fever, hypoxia, tachypnea
- All those without the above go to Yellow/Green
Triage/Risk Stratification
- Mild illness
- Well appearing
- No hypoxia (SPO2 ≥94%)
- No tachypnea (RR≥22)
- Moderate/Severe illness
- Hypoxia
- Tachypnea
- Ill-appearing + Template:COVID Risk Factors
- Other reasons needing admission
Protocols
- Labs/Imaging
- Intubation
- CPR
- Asthma
- CV procedures
- Disposition
Surge Capacity
- Hospital Dependent
SARS-CoV2 Testing Strategies
Telehealth
- For information on telehealth, see Alternative Care Sites: COVID-19
Resource Allocation
- Ventilators
Personnel
- Return to work