Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2015 Jun 8:4:22.
doi: 10.1186/s13756-015-0061-8. eCollection 2015.

Preparedness of institutions around the world for managing patients with Ebola virus disease: an infection control readiness checklist

Ermira Tartari  1 , Benedetta Allegranzi  2 , Brenda Ang  3 , Neville Calleja  4 , Peter Collignon  5 , Joost Hopman  6 , Lily Lang  7 , Lai Chee Lee  8 , Moi Lin Ling  8 , Shaheen Mehtar  9 , Paul A Tambyah  10 , Andreas Widmer  11 , Andreas Voss  6
Affiliations

Preparedness of institutions around the world for managing patients with Ebola virus disease: an infection control readiness checklist

Ermira Tartari et al. Antimicrob Resist Infect Control. .

Abstract

Background: In response to global concerns about the largest Ebola virus disease (EVD), outbreak to-date in West Africa documented healthcare associated transmission and the risk of global spread, the International Society of Chemotherapy (ISC) Infection Control Working Group created an Ebola Infection Control Readiness Checklist to assess the preparedness of institutions around the globe. We report data from the electronic checklist that was disseminated to medical professionals from October to December 2014 and identify action needed towards better preparedness levels.

Findings: Data from 192 medical professionals (one third from Africa) representing 125 hospitals in 45 countries around the globe were obtained through a specifically developed electronic survey. The survey contained 76 specific questions in 7 major sections: Administrative/operational support; Communications; Education and audit; Human resources, Supplies, Infection Prevention and Control practices and Clinical management of patients. The majority of respondents were infectious disease specialists/infection control consultants/clinical microbiologists (75; 39 %), followed by infection control professionals (59; 31 %) and medical doctors of other specialties (17; 9 %). Nearly all (149; 92 %) were directly involved in Ebola preparedness activities. Whilst, 54 % indicated that their hospital would need to handle suspected and proven Ebola cases, the others would subsequently transfer suspected cases to a specialized centre.

Conclusion: The results from our survey reveal that the general preparedness levels for management of potentially suspected cases of Ebola virus disease is only partially adequate in hospitals. Hospitals designated for admitting EVD suspected and proven patients had more frequently implemented Infection Control preparedness activities than hospitals that would subsequently transfer potential EVD cases to other centres. Results from this first international survey provide a framework for future efforts to improve hospital preparedness worldwide.

Keywords: EVD outbreak; EVD preparedness; Ebola virus disease; Personal protective equipment.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Geographic distribution of respondents
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Medical profession of respondents
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Comment in

References

    1. Ebola situation report 4 February 2015. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2015. http://www.who.int/csr/disease/ebola/en (accessed 8 February 2015).
    1. WHO Ebola Response Team Ebola virus disease in West Africa–the first 9 months of the epidemic and forward projections. N Engl J Med. 2014;16:1481–95. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa1411100. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Briand S, Bertherat E, Cox P, Formenty P, Kieny MP, Myhre JK, et al. The international Ebola emergency. N Engl J Med. 2014;13:1180–3. doi: 10.1056/NEJMp1409858. - DOI - PubMed
    1. ECDC . Outbreak of Ebola virus disease in West Africa Seventh update, 17 October 2014. Stockholm: European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control; 2014.
    1. Gostin LA, Friedman EA. Ebola: a crisis in global health leadership. Lancet. Published online 7 Oct 2014. Available from: http://download.thelancet.com/flatcontentassets/pdfs/S0140673614617918.pdf. - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources