Hospital preparedness for mass critical care during SARS-CoV-2 pandemic

• Published in: Critical care (London, England) Vol. 24; no. 1; p. 386
• Main Authors: Wurmb, Thomas, Scholtes, Katja, Kolibay, Felix, Schorscher, Nora, Ertl, Georg, Ernestus, Ralf-Ingo, Vogel, Ulrich, Franke, Axel, Kowalzik, Barbara
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England BioMed Central Ltd 30-06-2020; BioMed Central; BMC
• Subjects: Clinical decision making; Coronavirus Infections - epidemiology; Coronavirus Infections - therapy; Coronaviruses; COVID-19; Critical care; Critical Care - organization & administration; Decision making; Disaster Planning - organization & administration; Disaster response; Emergency preparedness; Health aspects; Health Services Research; Hospital emergency plan; Hospitals; Humans; Mass Casualty Incidents; Mass critical care; Pandemics; Patient care; Personal protective equipment; Pneumonia, Viral - epidemiology; Pneumonia, Viral - therapy; SARS-CoV-2; Severe acute respiratory syndrome; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; Viewpoint; SARS-CoV-2; Hospital emergency plan; Disaster response; Mass critical care
• ISSN: 1364-8535; 1466-609X; 1364-8535; 1366-609X
• DOI: 10.1186/s13054-020-03104-0

Mass critical care caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome corona virus 2 pandemic poses an extreme challenge to hospitals. The primary goal of hospital disaster preparedness and response is to maintain conventional or contingency care for as long as possible. Crisis care must be delayed as long as possible by appropriate measures. Increasing the intensive care unit (ICU) capacities is essential. In order to adjust surge capacity, the reduction of planned, elective patient care is an adequate response. However, this involves numerous problems that must be solved with a sense of proportion. This paper summarises preparedness and response measures recommended to acute care hospitals.