Ebola showcases need for security vigilance in hospitals

The continuing spread of Ebola in West Africa has put hospitals across the United States on high alert. Infectious disease outbreaks are a reminder of how important it is to focus attention on overall hospital safety and to make sure a response plan is in place in case a crisis does occur.

Hospitals must be vigilant — they must find ways to improve the safety and security of their hospitals, while still being a welcoming place for patients and their guests. Administrators must know who is entering their hospital and maintain records of all the people who have been in the facility. Without this effort, it is much more difficult to identify who may have been exposed to an infectious disease like Ebola.

Here are a few key things to think about when creating this culture of vigilance:

Privilege everyone who enters the hospital. Privileging, the granting of approval for a person to work in a facility, has traditionally been reserved for medical staff. However, to improve safety, you should apply this concept to each individual who enters your hospital. This is the only way you can be assured that everyone, from a commercial visitor to a volunteer, has the knowledge they need to keep patients safe.

Additionally, part of knowing who is in your hospital means requiring everyone to sign in and out at every visit. This step creates an ongoing record of those who enter, when they arrive, who they visit, areas they visit and when they depart. This information is essential in determining who needs to be contacted in the event of exposure to the virus.

Create and regularly practice a response plan for infectious disease. To be properly prepared, your facility must develop and thoroughly test an infectious disease response plan. The plan must include specific steps for alerting staff to particular disease symptoms, a protocol for monitoring patients, and a way to quickly and carefully respond to any patients who are suspected of having the disease. For information on what your plan should include, review the documents created by The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Their guidelines include specific strategies for stopping the spread of infectious diseases like Ebola.

Educate the public — it can save lives. In the case of Ebola, many people hear of the ravaging effects of the disease and its devastating death rate in West Africa and immediately get fearful that they will contract it. While this fear is understandable, it's important for your hospital to help educate patients and hospital staff about how the disease actually spreads. In the case of Ebola, a better understanding of the disease can help people who are sick feel safe enough to come to the hospital and seek the care they need.

Share information with the right people. It's not enough to ask patients the right questions — this information needs to be shared with the right people. For example, if the intake nurse learns that a patient has recently traveled from West Africa, all medical staff treating the patient, especially clinicians, must be notified. Ensuring pertinent information is shared quickly and accurately is key to making sure potential issues can be flagged early and that no information falls through the cracks.

Gain the support of hospital staff. In an infectious disease outbreak, hospital employees on the front lines of caring for patients are at the greatest risk of contracting the disease. You need to take all necessary precautions to keep them safe. They need to be properly fitted for and trained in the use of personal protection equipment. Further, since their health and lives are at risk, they need to have a part in the decision-making process. After all, frontline employees are the people who have the most understanding of the work being done. Employees that feel personally responsible for improving patient safety will hold themselves accountable and take the necessary steps to safeguard patients.

The American Medical Association has created the Ebola Resource Center for healthcare organizations and providers to specifically assist with questions regarding Ebola.

Dealing with an infectious disease like Ebola can be a challenge for any hospital. For information on how your facility can move to a privileging service that can help with notifications, training, reporting, and monitoring, please visit the IntelliCentrics SEC3URE website.

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