EmergencyRoomNurseSchedulingataPublicHospitalinJakarta during Covid-19 Pandemic, Using TPB Algorithm Method

Introduction: The emergency room (ER) is a department that has a high potential risk of exposure to the Covid-19 viruses. Nursing management must anticipate the ratio of nurses and patients in the ER is maintained at a minimum ratio of 1:4. Nurse scheduling is not an easy job to provide satisfaction to the nurses by distributing schedules evenly but operating costs can be kept to a minimum. This study is aimed to meet the demands of nurses in line with the current patient growth with two days off per week and to determine the individual correct shift pattern to achieve 40 hours per week during the Covid-19 Pandemic. Method: the modified Tribrewala, Phillipe, and Browne (TPB) algorithm. Results: The current ER nurse ratio to the patient is 8 nurses for 9 patients (0.8>0.25). The required ER nurses based on TPB algorithm calculations are 35 people per day. The current ER Nurses’ shift patterns do not match with the calculated shift pattern based on the TPB methodwhich meets the government regulations that each nurse works 40 hours per day. The number of nurses who are on vacation based on vacation optimization is 5 nurses per day. Conclusion: The ER of a Public Hospital in Jakarta has enough workforces during the Covid-19 pandemic;however, the shift patterns and vacation optimization still need improvement. © 2022 UPM Press. All rights reserved.

Checklist for infection control in the emergency department.

The risk of encountering human-to-human infections, including emerging infectious diseases, should be adequately and appropriately addressed in the emergency department. However, guidelines based on sufficient evidence on infection control in the emergency department have not been developed anywhere in the world. Each facility examines and implements its own countermeasures. The Japanese Association for Acute Medicine has established the "Committee for Infection Control in the Emergency Department" in cooperation with the Japanese Association for Infectious Diseases, Japanese Society for Infection Prevention and Control, Japanese Society for Emergency Medicine, and Japanese Society for Clinical Microbiology. A joint working group has been established to consider appropriate measures. This group undertook a comprehensive and multifaceted review of infection control measures for emergency outpatients and related matters, and released a checklist for infection control in emergency departments. This checklist has been prepared such that even small emergency departments with few or no emergency physicians can control infection by following the checklist, without committing any major errors. The checklist includes a control system for infection control, education, screening, and vaccination, prompt response to suspected infections, and management of the risk of infection in facilities. In addition, the timing of the check and interval at which the check is carried out are specified as categories. We hope that this checklist will contribute to improving infection control in the emergency department.