Rapid Emergency Department Physical Space Modifications for COVID-19: Keeping Patients and Health Care Workers Safe. Disaster Med Public Health Prep 2021 Aug 04:1-4
Date
08/05/2021Pubmed ID
34346305Pubmed Central ID
PMC8446594DOI
10.1017/dmp.2021.248Scopus ID
2-s2.0-85112369592 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site) 1 CitationAbstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has placed significant strain on emergency departments (EDs) that were not designed to care for many patients who may be highly contagious. This report outlines how a busy urban ED was adapted to prepare for COVID-19 via 3 primary interventions: (1) creating an open-air care space in the ambulance bay to cohort, triage, and rapidly test patients with suspected COVID-19, (2) quickly constructing temporary doors on all open treatment rooms, and (3) adapting and expanding the waiting room. This description serves as a model by which other EDs can repurpose their own care spaces to help ensure safety of their patients and health care workers.