Skip directly to site content Skip directly to page options Skip directly to A-Z link Skip directly to A-Z link Skip directly to A-Z link
Volume 23, Number 6—June 2017
Dispatch

Sustainability of High-Level Isolation Capabilities among US Ebola Treatment Centers

Jocelyn J. HersteinComments to Author , Paul D. Biddinger, Shawn G. Gibbs, Aurora B. Le, Katelyn C. Jelden, Angela L. Hewlett, and John J. Lowe
Author affiliations: University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska, USA (J.J. Herstein, K.C. Jelden, A.L. Hewlett, J.J. Lowe); Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA (P.D. Biddinger); Indiana University School of Public Health, Bloomington, Indiana, USA (S.G. Gibbs, A.B. Le)

Main Article

Table 1

Activation of HLIUs and management of PUIs, United States*

Variable Facilities, no./total no. (%)
Activation of HLIU
HLIU can be activated 24/7 throughout the year† 32/33 (97)
Standing protocol exists to contact team members 24/7 31/33 (94)
Involve local/state public health officials in managing public concerns
 32/33 (97)
PUIs
Plan to provide care for PUIs and persons with confirmed cases 32/33 (97)
Staff used to care for PUI
Use only HLIU staff to care for a PUI 28/32 (88)
Use other staff before disease is confirmed 4/32 (13)
Placement of PUI
Place PUI exclusively in the HLIU while being assessed 14/32 (44)
Place PUI in either HLIU or hospital ED 12/32 (38)
Place PUI in ED until confirmed diagnosis 4/32 (13)
Other‡ 2/32 (6)

*ED, emergency department; HLIU, high-level isolation unit; PUI, patient under investigation.
†Average time necessary to activate HLIU after notification of pending patient transfer is 4.58 h (median 4 h, range 1.24 h).
‡One facility sends a mobile response team to a PUI’s home for evaluation, and another plans to use a mobile treatment unit (i.e., tent) for PUI placement.

Main Article

Page created: May 16, 2017
Page updated: May 16, 2017
Page reviewed: May 16, 2017
The conclusions, findings, and opinions expressed by authors contributing to this journal do not necessarily reflect the official position of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Public Health Service, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or the authors' affiliated institutions. Use of trade names is for identification only and does not imply endorsement by any of the groups named above.
file_external