Fangcang shelter hospitals: a novel concept for responding to public health emergencies

Abstract

Fangcang shelter hospitals are a novel public health concept. They were implemented for the first time in China in February, 2020, to tackle the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak. The Fangcang shelter hospitals in China were large-scale, temporary hospitals, rapidly built by converting existing public venues, such as stadiums and exhibition centres, into health-care facilities. They served to isolate patients with mild to moderate COVID-19 from their families and communities, while providing medical care, disease monitoring, food, shelter, and social activities. We document the development of Fangcang shelter hospitals during the COVID-19 outbreak in China and explain their three key characteristics (rapid construction, massive scale, and low cost) and five essential functions (isolation, triage, basic medical care, frequent monitoring and rapid referral, and essential living and social engagement). Fangcang shelter hospitals could be powerful components of national responses to the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as future epidemics and public health emergencies.

Figure 1

Fangcang shelter hospital patient flows during the coronavirus disease 2019 outbreak in Wuhan, China All dates are in 2020.

Figure 2

Zones and passages in a Fangcang shelter hospital in Wuhan, China Adapted with permission of ThePaper.

Figure 3

Key characteristics and essential functions of Fangcang shelter hospitals COVID-19=coronavirus disease 2019.

Figure 4

Fangcang shelter hospital locations and capacities during the coronavirus disease 2019 outbreak in Wuhan, China Circle size is proportional to the number of hospital beds in each Fangcang shelter hospital.

Figure 5

A Fangcang shelter hospital during the coronavirus disease 2019 outbreak in Wuhan, China The hospital is shown before (A) and after (B) admission of patients. The images are reproduced with permission of Min Cheng, Xinhua News (A), and Xingxin Zhu, China Daily (B).