Rapid Emergency Department Physical Space Modifications for COVID-19: Keeping Patients and Health Care Workers Safe

Emily G. Wessling, Amanda H. Randolph, Luke A. Neill, Kumar R. Gandhi, Michael Conrardy, Jason D. Chodakowski, Matthew Kippenhan, Timothy M. Loftus*, Sanjeev Malik

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

1 Scopus citations

Abstract

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.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)2676-2679
Number of pages4
JournalDisaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness
Volume16
Issue number6
DOIs
StatePublished - Dec 4 2022

Keywords

  • covid-19
  • disaster planning
  • efficiency
  • emergency care systems
  • emergency department operations
  • emergency medicine

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health

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