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Maintaining trauma center operational readiness during a pandemic
Alexander C Cavalea1, Robin McGoey2, Rebecca W Schroll3
1Assistant Professor of Surgery, University of Tennessee Graduate School of Medicine, Knoxville, Ten-nessee. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5466-8725.
American Journal of Disaster Medicine
|May 6, 2021
Summary
Trauma centers must manage intensive care unit surge capacity during the COVID-19 pandemic. This involves planning for space, staff, stuff, and structure to maintain operations and care for critical patients.
Area of Science:
- Medical Sciences
- Public Health
- Emergency Medicine
Background:
- The COVID-19 pandemic presented unprecedented challenges to healthcare systems globally.
- Maintaining essential services like trauma care during widespread health crises requires strategic planning.
- University Medical Center New Orleans, a Level 1 Trauma Center, faced significant operational hurdles due to its location in an early COVID-19 hotspot.
Purpose of the Study:
- To detail the management strategies for intensive care unit (ICU) surge capacity at a major trauma center during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- To ensure the continuity of trauma center operations while simultaneously caring for critically ill coronavirus disease 2019 patients.
- To provide actionable lessons learned and recommendations for other trauma centers preparing for pandemic-related patient influx.
Main Methods:
- Implementation of ICU surge capacity protocols focusing on space, staff, supplies (stuff), and organizational structure.
- Adaptation of existing trauma center workflows to accommodate the needs of critically ill COVID-19 patients.
- Continuous assessment and reallocation of resources to meet escalating demands.
Main Results:
- Successful maintenance of trauma center operations despite the dual demands of trauma care and COVID-19 patient management.
- Demonstrated the critical importance of a well-defined surge capacity plan for maintaining essential services during a pandemic.
- Identified key challenges and successful mitigation strategies in resource allocation and operational adjustments.
Conclusions:
- Effective management of ICU surge capacity is crucial for trauma centers operating in pandemic conditions.
- Proactive planning encompassing space, staff, supplies, and structure enables trauma centers to navigate high-resource-strain events.
- Sharing experiences and recommendations can enhance the preparedness of trauma centers nationwide for future public health emergencies.
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