Background: SARS-CoV-2 has been implicated in the largest recorded coronavirus outbreak to date. Initially, most COVID-19 cases were in China, but the virus has spread to more than 184 countries worldwide, and the United States currently has more cases than any other country. Objective: With person-to-person spread expanding in the United States, we describe hospital preparedness for managing suspected and confirmed COVID-19 patients. Design: Cross-sectional survey focused on various elements of respiratory disease preparedness. Setting: Critical access hospitals (CAHs) and acute-care hospitals (ACHs) in Idaho. Methods: The electronic survey was sent to infection preventionists (IPs) and nurse administrators in 44 hospitals in Idaho. Results: Overall, 32 (73%) hospitals responded to the survey. Participating facilities reported their preparedness with respect to existing, formalized structures for managing infectious disease incidents—specifically COVID-19—as well as availability of resources, such as isolation rooms and personal protective equipment, for safely managing suspected and confirmed COVID-19 cases. Conclusions: Hospitals covered by the survey had varying levels of preparedness for managing COVID-19 cases, with differences across the various categories of interest in this study. Although the study reveals strengths, including in application of emergency management and infection control frameworks, it also suggests that other areas, such as consistent implementation of federal guidelines and requirements for infection prevention, are potential areas for strengthening preparedness for SARS-CoV-2 and other respiratory pathogens with pandemic potential.
【초록키워드】 Structure, SARS-CoV-2, infection control, Personal protective equipment, coronavirus, pandemic, hospital, Infection, Infectious disease, virus, Spread, China, outbreak, management, implementation, Respiratory disease, Infection prevention, COVID-19 patients, COVID-19 cases, respiratory pathogen, COVID-19 case, element, resources, The United States, Isolation room, country, spread to, reported, the United State, category, reveal, implicated, recorded, Initially, IPs, 【제목키워드】 COVID-19, survey,