Patient assessment of the CAPE: A solution to negative pressure isolation in an emergency department

The Collapsible Aerosolized Particle Enclosure (CAPE) is a negative pressure patient isolation device designed to protect patients and clinicians from aerosolized infectious particles. The CAPE is intended to provide a safe environment for care receipt and delivery when isolation capacity is limited. The goal of this study was to evaluate the acceptability of receiving care in the CAPE from the emergency department (ED) patient perspective.

For this prospective, observational study, adult ED patients receiving care in the CAPE were asked to participate in an anonymous survey upon conclusion of the patient encounter. Survey domains included comfort, ability to see and communicate with care team members, space adequacy, perceptions of safety, and the ease of entering and exiting the device. Participants provided responses using a five-point Likert-type scale.

Ten adult patients participated during a 68-day evaluation period in a tertiary care ED. A total of seven completed the survey (70 %); the remaining three did not complete the survey due to illness severity. The median time spent in the device was 190 min. The median degree of comfort inside the CAPE was 5.0. Participants rated their ability to see their surroundings as median 5.0. The median score for ability to communicate with their medical team inside the CAPE was 5.0. Patients reported feeling safe inside the device with a median of 5.0 and most felt there was enough space inside with a median 5.0. The IQR for each of the above metrics was 5.0 and 5.0. Additionally participants also found it easy to mobilize in and out of the CAPE, with a median score of 5.0, IQR 4.0, 5.05.

In this pilot, prospective, observational study with adult ED patients, the majority of patients found the CAPE comfortable and safe, providing adequate space, and easily accessed. Use of the CAPE with ED patients was feasible and acceptable in our setting, supporting its use as a promising method for expanding isolation space during times of limited negative pressure capacity.