Ebola Resources: Hospital Checklist, PPE Guidance, More

With the first U.S. case of Ebola confirmed in September 2014 at a Dallas hospital, federal agencies and other expert sources have made a rich collection of guidance available to help hospitals prepare for and respond to the deadly disease.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), along with the U.S. Department for Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR), have released a detailed checklist for hospitals to prepare for the risk of Ebola. The checklist includes practical and specific suggestions to help hospitals and providers detect cases, protect employees, and respond effectively.

Ebola guidance from CDC and other sources include these documents:

About Ebola

• Case definition for Ebola virus disease (EVD)
• Ebola virus disease information for clinicians in U.S. health care settings
• Key messages—Ebola Virus Disease, West Africa (updated Nov. 19)
• Questions and answers on Ebola
• Summary paper by Bruce Ribner, MD, on caring for Ebola patients at Emory University Hospital | video

Preparation

• Best practices for procuring personal protective equipment for Ebola response
• Checklist for health care coalitions for Ebola preparedness
• Considerations for U.S health care facilities to ensure adequate supplies of PPE for Ebola preparedness
• Detailed emergency medical services checklist for Ebola preparedness
• Emergency medical services systems and 911 public safety answering points
• What hospitals need to know to prepare for Ebola: Clinician Outreach and Communication Activity (COCA) call

Evaluation

• Algorithm for evaluating a returning traveler
• Checklist for patients being evaluated for Ebola in the United States
• Ebola screening criteria for EMS
• Ebola screening criteria for hospitals
• Emergency Department Evaluation and Management for Patients Who Present with Possible Ebola Virus Disease
• Evaluating patients for possible Ebola virus disease: recommendations for health care personnel and health officials
• Guidelines for evaluation of U.S. patients suspected of having Ebola

Management

• CDC Provides Ebola PPE Guidance Clarifications to Assist U.S. Healthcare Personnel
• Considerations for Discharging Persons Under Investigation (PUI) for Ebola Virus Disease
• Guidance on Personal Protective Equipment to Be Used by Health Care Workers During Management of Patients with Ebola Virus Disease in U.S. Hospitals, Including Procedures for Putting on (Donning) and Removing (Doffing)
• Infection prevention and control recommendations for hospitalized patients with known or suspected Ebola hemorrhagic fever in U.S. hospitals
• Interim Guidance for Management of Survivors of Ebola Virus Disease in U.S. Healthcare Settings
• Interim guidance for managers and workers handling untreated sewage from individuals with Ebola
• Interim guidance for monitoring and movement of persons with potential Ebola virus exposure
• Interim guidance for specimen collection, transport, testing, and submission for patients with suspected Ebola infection; poster
• Monitoring Symptoms and Controlling Movement to Stop Spread of Ebola
• New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation implements “buddy system” to fight Ebola
• Patient transportation, monitoring, and movement
• Safe management of patients with EVD in U.S. hospitals
• Sequence for removing personal protective equipment
• Tightened guidance for U.S. health care workers on personal protective equipment for Ebola

Related resources

• What’s new
• 2014 West Africa Ebola outbreak overview
• Emergency Care Coordination Center
• Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA) requirements and implications related to Ebola virus disease
• Infographic on Ebola Facts
• Infographic on Flu Versus Ebola
• Master List of CDC Question and Answer Documents
• Travel health notices
• Radio spots for outbreak
• West Africa outbreak distribution map
• World Health Organization epidemic and pandemic alert and response

Social media
HHS agencies, including CDC and ASPR, have made Ebola information available through social media, including Twitter@phegov, @CDCgov, and @CDCEmergency; and Facebook, at Public Health Emergency, CDC, and CDC Emergency Preparedness and Response. Other communications tools include traditional EVD updates: the CDC Health Alert Network and the CDC COCA.

The CDC emergency operations center is available for consultation at 770.488.7100 or eocreport@cdc.gov. The agency says it cannot accept specimens without prior consultation.