tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
J Multidiscip Healthc
. 2022 Jun 14;15:1309-1321.
doi: 10.2147/JMDH.S361896. eCollection 2022.
Pandemic Responsiveness in an Acute Care Setting: A Community Hospital's Utilization of Operational Resources During COVID-19
Jesse McLean[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Cathy Clark[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Aidan McKee[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Suzanne Legue[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Jane Cocking[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Amanda Lamarche[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Corey Heerschap[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Sarah Morris[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Tracey Fletcher[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Corey McKee[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Kristal Kennedy[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Leigh Gross[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Andrew Broeren[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Matthew Forder[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Wendy Barner[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Chris Tebbutt[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Suzanne Kings[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Giulio DiDiodato[SUP] 1 3 [/SUP]
Affiliations
Abstract
Background: To ensure continuity of services while mitigating patient surge and nosocomial infections during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, acute care hospitals have been required to make significant operational adjustments. Here, we identify and discuss key administrative priorities and strategies utilized by a large community hospital located in Ontario, Canada.
Methods: Guided by a qualitative descriptive approach, we performed a thematic analysis of all COVID-19-related documentation discussed by the hospital's emergency operation centre (EOC) during the pandemic's first wave. We then solicited operational strategies from a multidisciplinary group of hospital leaders to construct a narrative for each theme.
Results: Seven recurrent themes critical to the hospital's pandemic response emerged: 1) Organizational structure: a modified EOC structure was adopted to increase departmental interoperability and situational awareness; 2) Capacity planning: Design Thinking guided rapid infrastructure decisions to meet surge requirements; 3) Occupational health and workplace safety: a multidisciplinary team provided respirator fit-testing, critical absence adjudication, and wellness needs; 4) Human resources/workforce planning: new workforce planning, recruitment, and redeployment strategies addressed staffing shortages; 5) Personal protective equipment (PPE): PPE conservation required proactive sourcing from traditional and non-traditional suppliers; 6) Community response: local partnerships were activated to divert patients through a non-referral-based assessment and treatment centre, support long-term care and retirement homes, and establish a 70-bed field hospital; and 7) Corporate communication: a robust communication strategy provided timely and transparent access to rapidly evolving information.
Conclusion: A community hospital's operational preparedness for COVID-19 was supported by inter-operability, leveraging internal and external expertise and partnerships, creative problem solving, and developing novel tools to support occupational health and community initiatives.
Keywords: COVID-19; acute care; hospital; infection; operational; pandemic.
. 2022 Jun 14;15:1309-1321.
doi: 10.2147/JMDH.S361896. eCollection 2022.
Pandemic Responsiveness in an Acute Care Setting: A Community Hospital's Utilization of Operational Resources During COVID-19
Jesse McLean[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Cathy Clark[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Aidan McKee[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Suzanne Legue[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Jane Cocking[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Amanda Lamarche[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Corey Heerschap[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Sarah Morris[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Tracey Fletcher[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Corey McKee[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Kristal Kennedy[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Leigh Gross[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Andrew Broeren[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Matthew Forder[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Wendy Barner[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Chris Tebbutt[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Suzanne Kings[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Giulio DiDiodato[SUP] 1 3 [/SUP]
Affiliations
- PMID: 35726265
- PMCID: PMC9206458
- DOI: 10.2147/JMDH.S361896
Abstract
Background: To ensure continuity of services while mitigating patient surge and nosocomial infections during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, acute care hospitals have been required to make significant operational adjustments. Here, we identify and discuss key administrative priorities and strategies utilized by a large community hospital located in Ontario, Canada.
Methods: Guided by a qualitative descriptive approach, we performed a thematic analysis of all COVID-19-related documentation discussed by the hospital's emergency operation centre (EOC) during the pandemic's first wave. We then solicited operational strategies from a multidisciplinary group of hospital leaders to construct a narrative for each theme.
Results: Seven recurrent themes critical to the hospital's pandemic response emerged: 1) Organizational structure: a modified EOC structure was adopted to increase departmental interoperability and situational awareness; 2) Capacity planning: Design Thinking guided rapid infrastructure decisions to meet surge requirements; 3) Occupational health and workplace safety: a multidisciplinary team provided respirator fit-testing, critical absence adjudication, and wellness needs; 4) Human resources/workforce planning: new workforce planning, recruitment, and redeployment strategies addressed staffing shortages; 5) Personal protective equipment (PPE): PPE conservation required proactive sourcing from traditional and non-traditional suppliers; 6) Community response: local partnerships were activated to divert patients through a non-referral-based assessment and treatment centre, support long-term care and retirement homes, and establish a 70-bed field hospital; and 7) Corporate communication: a robust communication strategy provided timely and transparent access to rapidly evolving information.
Conclusion: A community hospital's operational preparedness for COVID-19 was supported by inter-operability, leveraging internal and external expertise and partnerships, creative problem solving, and developing novel tools to support occupational health and community initiatives.
Keywords: COVID-19; acute care; hospital; infection; operational; pandemic.