Preparing the Intensive Care Unit for a Lethal Viral Respiratory Pandemic

Future pandemics will certainly arise and continue to have a profound impact on health care, including management within the intensive care unit. Robust preparedness plans require specific attention to detail as it pertains to incident management, surge capacity, infection control practices, and the health care workforce. The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted many gaps in prior preparedness efforts, and those lessons learned must be integrated into updated preparedness work. Additionally, ensuring health care workforce wellness, decreasing health care disparities, strengthening networks for rapid research and response, and active roles in dispelling misinformation within the media should be integrated into pandemic preparedness plans.