Planning and response to Ebola virus disease: An integrated approach

Philip W Smith; Kathleen C Boulter; Angela L Hewlett; Christopher J Kratochvil; Elizabeth J Beam; Shawn G Gibbs; John-Martin J Lowe; Michelle M Schwedhelm

doi:10.1016/j.ajic.2015.01.019

Planning and response to Ebola virus disease: An integrated approach

Am J Infect Control. 2015 May 1;43(5):441-6. doi: 10.1016/j.ajic.2015.01.019.

Authors

Philip W Smith¹, Kathleen C Boulter², Angela L Hewlett³, Christopher J Kratochvil⁴, Elizabeth J Beam⁵, Shawn G Gibbs⁶, John-Martin J Lowe⁶, Michelle M Schwedhelm²

Affiliations

¹ Division of Infectious Diseases, College of Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE; Department of Epidemiology, College of Public Health, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE. Electronic address: pwsmith@unmc.edu.
² Nebraska Medicine, Omaha, NE.
³ Division of Infectious Diseases, College of Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE; Department of Epidemiology, College of Public Health, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE.
⁴ Vice Chancellor for Clinical Research, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE.
⁵ College of Nursing, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE.
⁶ Department of Environmental, Agricultural and Occupational Health, College of Public Health, University of Nebraska Medical center, Omaha, NE.

PMID: 25952046
DOI: 10.1016/j.ajic.2015.01.019

Abstract

The care of patients with Ebola virus disease (EVD) requires the application of critical care medicine principles under conditions of stringent infection control precautions. The care of patients with EVD requires a number of elements in terms of physical layout, personal protective apparel, and other equipment. Provision of care is demanding in terms of depth of staff and training. The key to safely providing such care is a system that brings many valuable skills to the table, and allows communication between these individuals. We present our approach to leadership structure and function--a variation of incident command--in providing care to 3 patients with EVD.

Keywords: Biocontainment; Incident command; Leadership.

MeSH terms

Delivery of Health Care, Integrated*
Disease Transmission, Infectious / prevention & control*
Emergency Medical Services / methods*
Hemorrhagic Fever, Ebola / epidemiology*
Hemorrhagic Fever, Ebola / prevention & control*
Humans
Infection Control / methods*
Infection Control / organization & administration*