ABSTRACT
The coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) has served as a call-to-arms in preparing practices for the next disaster whether it is another infectious disease or a flood, hurricane, earthquake, a sustained power outage, or something else. A group of predominantly core aesthetic physicians discussed the various aspects of their office procedures that warrant consideration in a proactive approach to the next pandemic/disaster-related event. This guide does not set a standard of practice but contains recommendations that may avoid some of the "lessons learned" with the COVID-19 pandemic. In this paper, the board-certified core aesthetic physicians classified these recommendations into four generalized areas: Practice Management; Supplies and Inventory; Office Staffing Considerations and Protocols; and Patient Management Strategies. Proactive strategies are provided in each of these categories that, if implemented, may alleviate the processes involved with an efficient office closure and reopening process including, in the case of COVID-19, methods to reduce the risk of transmission to doctors, staff, and patients. These strategies also include being prepared for emergency-related notifications of employees and patients; the acquisition of necessary equipment and supplies such as personal protective equipment; and the maintenance and accessibility of essential data and contact information for patients, vendors, financial advisors, and other pertinent entities.J Drugs Dermatol. 2021;20(1):10-16. doi:10.36849/JDD.5803.
Subject(s)
COVID-19/prevention & control , Civil Defense/methods , Disaster Planning/methods , Disasters/prevention & control , Disease Management , Physician's Role , COVID-19/epidemiology , COVID-19/therapy , Civil Defense/trends , Disaster Planning/trends , Humans , Personnel Staffing and Scheduling/trendsSubject(s)
Disaster Planning/trends , United Nations/organization & administration , Biodiversity , Cholera/epidemiology , Cholera/prevention & control , Disaster Planning/economics , Food Insecurity , Global Warming/prevention & control , Humans , Malaria/epidemiology , Malaria/prevention & control , Public Health/economics , Public Health/trends , United Nations/economicsSubject(s)
COVID-19 , Climate Change/statistics & numerical data , Disaster Planning/trends , Environmental Science/trends , Forecasting/methods , Research/organization & administration , Research/trends , Acclimatization , COVID-19/epidemiology , Climate Change/economics , Disaster Planning/economics , Disaster Planning/methods , Disasters/economics , Disasters/prevention & control , Disasters/statistics & numerical data , Environmental Policy , Environmental Science/economics , Environmental Science/methods , Global Warming/economics , Global Warming/prevention & control , Global Warming/statistics & numerical data , Humans , Public-Private Sector Partnerships , Research/economics , Risk ManagementSubject(s)
COVID-19 , Communicable Disease Control , Disaster Planning/trends , Infectious Disease Medicine , Information Dissemination/legislation & jurisprudence , International Cooperation/legislation & jurisprudence , Pandemics , Trust , Administrative Personnel , COVID-19/diagnosis , COVID-19/mortality , COVID-19/prevention & control , COVID-19/virology , COVID-19 Vaccines/administration & dosage , Cell Phone , Congresses as Topic , Evidence-Based Medicine , Health Policy , Humans , Internet Use/statistics & numerical data , Locomotion , Research Personnel , SARS-CoV-2/genetics , SARS-CoV-2/isolation & purification , Stakeholder Participation , Time Factors , United Kingdom , World Health Organization/organization & administrationABSTRACT
Mass vaccination is a crucial public health intervention during outbreaks or pandemics for which vaccines are available. The US government has sponsored the development of medical countermeasures, including vaccines, for public health emergencies; however, federally supported programs, including the Public Health and Emergency Preparedness program and Cities Readiness Initiative, have historically emphasized antibiotic pill dispensing over mass vaccination. While mass vaccination and pill dispensing programs share similarities, they also have fundamental differences that require dedicated preparedness efforts to address. To date, only a limited number of public assessments of local mass vaccination operational capabilities have been conducted. To fill this gap, we interviewed 37 public health and preparedness officials representing 33 jurisdictions across the United States. We aimed to characterize their existing mass vaccination operational capacities and identify challenges and lessons learned in order to support the efforts of other jurisdictions to improve mass vaccination preparedness. We found that most jurisdictions were not capable of or had not planned for rapidly vaccinating their populations within a short period of time (eg, 1 to 2 weeks). Many also noted that their focus on pill dispensing was driven largely by federal funding requirements and that preparedness efforts for mass vaccination were often self-motivated. Barriers to implementing rapid mass vaccination operations included insufficient personnel qualified to administer vaccinations, increased patient load compared to pill-dispensing modalities, logistical challenges to maintaining cold chain, and operational challenges addressing high-risk populations, including children, pregnant women, and non-English-speaking populations. Considering the expected availability of a severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 vaccine for distribution and dispensing to the public, our findings highlight critical considerations for planning possible future mass vaccination events, including during the novel coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic.
Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Civil Defense/trends , Mass Vaccination/trends , Medical Countermeasures , Public Health , Vulnerable Populations/ethnology , Disaster Planning/trends , Humans , Mass Vaccination/organization & administration , VaccinationABSTRACT
The 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has led to physical distancing measures in numerous countries in an attempt to control the spread. However, these measures are not without cost to the health and economies of the nations in which they are enacted. Nations are now looking for methods to remove physical distancing measures and return to full functioning. To prevent a massive second wave of infections, this must be done with a data-driven methodology. The purpose of this article is to propose an algorithm for COVID-19 testing that would allow for physical distancing to be scaled back in a stepwise manner, which limits ensuing infections and protects the capacity of the health care system.
Subject(s)
Algorithms , COVID-19 Testing/methods , COVID-19/diagnosis , COVID-19/epidemiology , COVID-19/transmission , COVID-19 Testing/standards , COVID-19 Testing/trends , Delivery of Health Care/methods , Disaster Planning/methods , Disaster Planning/trends , Humans , Pandemics/prevention & control , Physical Distancing , Quarantine/trendsABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: COVID-19 has tested the capacity of every nursing school, but its impact has varied according to the size, location, and baseline infrastructure of each school. This makes the pandemic an important lens through which to study crisis management principles, such as flexibility and scalability (the ability to expand and reduce efforts based on situational demands). PURPOSE: This article provides a roadmap for academic crisis management, modeled on the National Incident Management System (NIMS). It is tailored to the unique needs of nursing schools and applies COVID-19 as a case study. METHODS: The authors explore the elements of the NIMS that were deployed within 1 top-ranked school of nursing during COVID-19. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: The article includes best practices, tips, and resources to help academic nurse leaders and educators navigate large-scale or unprecedented crises, such as COVID-19.
Subject(s)
COVID-19/epidemiology , Disaster Planning/trends , Pandemics , Schools, Nursing/organization & administration , Humans , Leadership , Models, Organizational , SARS-CoV-2 , United StatesSubject(s)
Coronavirus Infections/epidemiology , Delivery of Health Care/organization & administration , Developed Countries/economics , Disaster Planning/trends , Pneumonia, Viral/epidemiology , Vulnerable Populations , Africa/epidemiology , COVID-19 , Coronavirus Infections/economics , Coronavirus Infections/transmission , Delivery of Health Care/economics , Delivery of Health Care/standards , Developed Countries/statistics & numerical data , Disease Outbreaks , Epidemiological Monitoring , Foundations/economics , Global Health , Hemorrhagic Fever, Ebola/drug therapy , Hemorrhagic Fever, Ebola/economics , Hemorrhagic Fever, Ebola/epidemiology , Humans , Pandemics/economics , Pneumonia, Viral/economics , Pneumonia, Viral/transmission , Vulnerable Populations/statistics & numerical data , World Health OrganizationSubject(s)
City Planning/trends , Communication , Contact Tracing , Coronavirus Infections/epidemiology , Disaster Planning/trends , Leadership , Pneumonia, Viral/epidemiology , Sustainable Development/trends , COVID-19 , Cities/statistics & numerical data , Food Supply/economics , Food Supply/statistics & numerical data , Global Warming/prevention & control , Humans , Information Dissemination , Internationality , Internet , Mobile Applications , Pandemics , Transients and MigrantsABSTRACT
Hospitalists are well poised to serve in key leadership roles and in frontline care in particular when facing a pandemic such as the SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) infection. Much of the disaster planning in hospitals around the country addresses overcrowded emergency departments and decompressing these locations; however, in the case of COVID-19, intensive care units, emergency departments, and medical wards ran the risk of being overwhelmed by a large influx of patients needing high-level medical care. In a matter of days, our Division of Hospital Medicine, in partnership with our hospital, health system, and academic institution, was able to modify and deploy existing disaster plans to quickly care for an influx of medically complex patients. We describe a scaled approach to managing hospitalist clinical operations during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Subject(s)
Betacoronavirus , Capacity Building/methods , Coronavirus Infections/prevention & control , Disaster Planning/methods , Hospitalists , Hospitals , Pandemics/prevention & control , Pneumonia, Viral/prevention & control , COVID-19 , Capacity Building/trends , Containment of Biohazards/methods , Containment of Biohazards/trends , Coronavirus Infections/epidemiology , Disaster Planning/trends , Hospitalists/trends , Hospitals/trends , Humans , Intersectoral Collaboration , Pneumonia, Viral/epidemiology , SARS-CoV-2Subject(s)
Coronavirus Infections/prevention & control , Disaster Planning , Pandemics/prevention & control , Pneumonia, Viral/prevention & control , Betacoronavirus , COVID-19 , Civil Defense , Coronavirus Infections/epidemiology , Disaster Planning/organization & administration , Disaster Planning/trends , Europe/epidemiology , Forecasting , Humans , Pneumonia, Viral/epidemiology , SARS-CoV-2ABSTRACT
The biological motor behind the current coronavirus pandemic has placed microbiology on a global stage, and given its practitioners a role among the architects of recovery. Planning for a return to normality or the new normal is a complex, multi-agency task for which healthcare scientists may not be prepared. This paper introduces a widely used military planning framework known as the Joint Military Appreciation Process, and outlines how it can be applied to deal with the next phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. Recognition of SARS-CoV-2's critical attributes, targetable vulnerabilities, and its most likely and most dangerous effects is a necessary precursor to scoping, framing and mission analysis. From this flows course of action development, analysis, concept of operations development, and an eventual decision to act on the plan. The same planning technique is applicable to the larger scale task of setting a microbiology-centric plan in the broader context of social and economic recovery.
Subject(s)
Coronavirus Infections/epidemiology , Coronavirus Infections/therapy , Disaster Planning/organization & administration , Military Science/methods , Pneumonia, Viral/epidemiology , Pneumonia, Viral/therapy , COVID-19 , Clinical Laboratory Services/organization & administration , Clinical Laboratory Services/supply & distribution , Disaster Planning/methods , Disaster Planning/trends , Health , Humans , PandemicsABSTRACT
Since the first report of the 2019 novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in December 2019 in Wuhan, China, the outbreak of the disease has been continuously evolving. Until March 17, 2020, 185, 178 cases had been confirmed, including 81,134 cases in China and 104,044 cases outside of China. In this comment, we report the unexpected beneficial effect of a deployable rapid-assembly shelter hospital on the prevention and treatment of COVID-19. We describe the shelter hospital maintenance, treatment mode and primary treatment methods, which will provide a valuable experience in dealing with public health emergencies, such as COVID-19, for other countries and areas.
Subject(s)
COVID-19/complications , Emergency Shelter/methods , Hospitals/trends , COVID-19/epidemiology , China/epidemiology , Disaster Planning/methods , Disaster Planning/standards , Disaster Planning/trends , Emergency Shelter/trends , Hospitals/standards , Humans , Public Health/instrumentation , Public Health/methodsABSTRACT
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has already exerted an enormous impact on the entire world. Everything is overwhelmed in the face of a rapid escalation of cases. The countries that have already reported the peak of transmission are easing their preventive measures yet fearing a second wave of infection. If the virus causes that next wave, are we sufficiently prepared to deal with it? I argue that the stakeholders concerned should simultaneously handle the ongoing pandemic while making effective preparations for its second wave. To relax the preventive measures, countries must thoroughly revisit their situations based on scientific evidence.