ABSTRACT
The administration of spike monoclonal antibody treatment to patients with mild to moderate COVID-19 is very challenging. This article summarizes essential components and processes in establishing an effective spike monoclonal antibody infusion program. Rapid identification of a dedicated physical infrastructure was essential to circumvent the logistical challenges of caring for infectious patients while maintaining compliance with regulations and ensuring the safety of our personnel and other patients. Our partnerships and collaborations among multiple different specialties and disciplines enabled contributions from personnel with specific expertise in medicine, nursing, pharmacy, infection prevention and control, electronic health record (EHR) informatics, compliance, legal, medical ethics, engineering, administration, and other critical areas. Clear communication and a culture in which all roles are welcomed at the planning and operational tables are critical to the rapid development and refinement needed to adapt and thrive in providing this time-sensitive beneficial therapy. Our partnerships with leaders and providers outside our institutions, including those who care for underserved populations, have promoted equity in the access of monoclonal antibodies in our regions. Strong support from institutional leadership facilitated expedited action when needed, from a physical, personnel, and system infrastructure standpoint. Our ongoing real-time assessment and monitoring of our clinical program allowed us to improve and optimize our processes to ensure that the needs of our patients with COVID-19 in the outpatient setting are met.
Subject(s)
Antiviral Agents/administration & dosage , COVID-19 , Critical Pathways , Home Infusion Therapy , SARS-CoV-2 , Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus , Antibodies, Monoclonal/administration & dosage , COVID-19/epidemiology , COVID-19/therapy , Clinical Protocols , Critical Pathways/organization & administration , Critical Pathways/trends , Efficiency, Organizational , Home Infusion Therapy/methods , Home Infusion Therapy/standards , Humans , Intersectoral Collaboration , Organizational Culture , Program Development/methods , SARS-CoV-2/immunology , SARS-CoV-2/isolation & purification , Severity of Illness Index , Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus/antagonists & inhibitors , Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus/immunology , United States/epidemiologyABSTRACT
Therapeutic interventions to manage symptoms of COVID-19 are continually evolving and being used in a variety of settings. In an attempt to reduce the potential for a high influx of hospital admissions for COVID-19 and mitigate the advancement of COVID-19 disease in infected patients, an outpatient therapy clinic for infusion therapy was established. The focus of the current paper is to outline the development of the outpatient treatment center, provide a detailed summary of workflow and discuss operational challenges and directions for the future.