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. 2020 Jun 1;27(6):967-971.
doi: 10.1093/jamia/ocaa048.

Electronic personal protective equipment: A strategy to protect emergency department providers in the age of COVID-19

Robert W Turer  1   2   3 , Ian Jones  1   2 , S Trent Rosenbloom  1   4   5   6 , Corey Slovis  2   7   8 , Michael J Ward  2   3
Affiliations

Electronic personal protective equipment: A strategy to protect emergency department providers in the age of COVID-19

Robert W Turer et al. J Am Med Inform Assoc. .

Abstract

Emergent policy changes related to telemedicine and the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act during the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic have created opportunities for technology-based clinical evaluation, which serves to conserve personal protective equipment (PPE) and protect emergency providers. We define electronic PPE as an approach using telemedicine tools to perform electronic medical screening exams while satisfying the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act. We discuss the safety, legal, and technical factors necessary for implementing such a pathway. This approach has the potential to conserve PPE and protect providers while maintaining safe standards for medical screening exams in the emergency department for low-risk patients in whom COVID-19 is suspected.

Keywords: EMTALA; emergency medicine; medical screening exam; personal protective equipment; telehealth; telemedicine.

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Comment in

  • Letter to Editor.
    Barthell E, Handler J. Barthell E, et al. J Am Med Inform Assoc. 2020 Jul 1;27(9):1496-1497. doi: 10.1093/jamia/ocaa110. J Am Med Inform Assoc. 2020. PMID: 32442252 Free PMC article. No abstract available.
  • Reply to Barthell et al.
    Turer RW, Jones I, Rosenbloom ST, Slovis C, Ward MJ. Turer RW, et al. J Am Med Inform Assoc. 2020 Jul 1;27(9):1498. doi: 10.1093/jamia/ocaa111. J Am Med Inform Assoc. 2020. PMID: 32484867 Free PMC article. No abstract available.

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