J Am Coll Emerg Physicians Open . Dynamic emergency department response to the evolving COVID-19 pandemic: the experience of a tertiary hospital in Singapore

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J Am Coll Emerg Physicians Open


. 2020 Sep 25;10.1002/emp2.12264.
doi: 10.1002/emp2.12264. Online ahead of print.
Dynamic emergency department response to the evolving COVID-19 pandemic: the experience of a tertiary hospital in Singapore


Zhenghong Liu ¹ , Tess Lin Teo ² , Mian Jie Lim ¹ , Gayathri Devi Nadarajan ² , Shashi S/O Chandra Segaram ² , Sanda Thangarajoo ² , Liang En Wee ³ , Jeremy Choon Peng Wee ² , Kenneth Boon Kiat Tan ²



Affiliations

• PMID: 33043319
• PMCID: PMC7537534
• DOI: 10.1002/emp2.12264

Free PMC article

Abstract

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has placed large stressors on emergency departments (EDs) worldwide. As the pandemic progressed, EDs faced changing patient epidemiology and numbers. Our ED needed to rapidly transform to deal with the risk of COVID-19. Having limited floor space, we opted for a phased, dynamic response that allowed us to adapt the ED multiple times as the epidemiology of the pandemic evolved. The principles behind our response include guiding ED operations with data, enhancing infection control practices, and being prepared to transform areas of the ED to care for different groups of patients. Our experience can serve to guide other EDs in planning their response to surge capacity and ED operations during such pandemics.

Keywords: COVID‐19; Emergency department; Operation; SARS‐CoV‐2.