How Hospitals Should Be Addressing the Coronavirus

The first case of coronavirus in the United States was confirmed on January 20th of this year. Since then, life globally has changed in ways most couldn’t have imagined.

To date, there have been more than 11 million COVID-19 cases recorded in the United States. More than 250,000 deaths are associated with coronavirus.

Experts now warn the US is at the start of a second significant wave in this pandemic. As such, hospitals need to prepare for an inevitable influx of coronavirus patients.

But how should hospitals be addressing coronavirus now? Continue reading to learn the necessary steps hospitals around the US should be taking.

Increasing Bed Capacity

With a second wave approaching, it’s essential hospitals continue increasing bed capacity. Limited beds are one of the largest challenges faced by the healthcare industry amidst this pandemic. There are several ways to approach this in the short-term.

The easiest way to increase bed capacity is to switch single bedrooms to double occupancy. Temporary field hospitals can also help increase capacity in a short period. These can be pulled down when the pandemic is finally behind us.

Protect Healthcare Workers

Healthcare workers are at the frontlines of this pandemic. Protecting them should be a primary concern. Without an adequate number of professionals to treat patients, many won’t receive treatment.

Additional education can inform healthcare workers on how to best protect themselves. Instruction on how to properly use possibly unfamiliar protective equipment is necessary. Also essential is extra training on infectious diseases for healthcare workers.

Supplying healthcare workers with protective equipment allows them to continue fighting this pandemic. N95 masks and air-purifying respirators should be allocated for workers, particularly in hot spots. Surgical gowns, face shields, and gloves are also important.

Because COVID-19 is still present, and the virus continues to spread, health-care workers have a higher risk of getting infected, especially those who are constantly in direct contact with many patients who have the highly infectious disease. It is important to equip all health-care workers with personal protective equipment, such as medical gloves, medical-grade face masks, and other protective clothing, to prevent further spread of the virus and help keep the medical staff safe from COVID-19.

Enforce Stricter Patient Visitor Guidelines

While personal support is necessary to patients, visitors increase the risk of coronavirus spread. Hospitals should enforce stricter patient visitor guidelines. Only the most essential visitors, such as a parent for children, should be inside the hospital.

Secure Necessary Medical Supplies Before Necessary

Hospitals should be in touch with their chosen medical supplier before the second wave hits. It’s essential to have enough medical supplies on hand for when cases begin to spike.

Specific Sectors for COVID-19 Patients

To limit coronavirus spread, positive patients should be designated to specific hospital sectors. This may mean altering current hospital wings or combining some floors into one. Limited healthcare professionals should work in this sector to limit the spread among staff.

Do You Have More Questions About How Hospitals Should Be Addressing Coronavirus Now?

Hospitals are being forced to change normal operations. They must adapt to new standards during this pandemic. The key to managing COVID-19 is preparation and the protection of essential healthcare workers.

Do you have more questions about how hospitals should be addressing coronavirus now?

Check out our other blog posts. You’ll find many other blog posts on similar topics that can help you dive further into the subject.