Keeping SARS out: an education program for SARS screeners in one Ontario hospital

On March 14, 2003, the Ontario (Canada) Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care alerted healthcare providers about four cases of atypical pneumonia resulting in two deaths within a single family in Toronto, Ontario. These cases were just the first of many that occurred in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, in the months to come. This article describes one community hospital's response to the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) crisis and the important, although initially overlooked, role of staff development in keeping SARS out of this Ontario hospital.