Evidence review informs surge plan at California hospital

When COVID-19 reached U.S. shores earlier this year, a task force at Mission Hospital in Mission Viejo, Calif. conducted a literature review to plan the hospital’s pandemic response. The task force consulted 25 sources of evidence, including a consensus statement on surge capacity principles published in CHEST Journal. The taskforce developed algorithms, workflows and processes for treating patients and for managing shortages of staff and supplies. Writing in Critical Care Nurse, the authors reported patients received excellent care and the mortality rate at their facility was 0.008%. Although the intensive care unit team had the needed respiratory and general supplies, it had to adapt to shortages of personal protective equipment, cleaning products and some medications.