Although the risk of Ebola in Indiana is relatively low, Decatur County Memorial Hospital (DCMH) is preparing to treat patients with such symptoms should they arise. After talking with staff, meeting with physicians, participating in calls with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the American Hospital Association (AHA), DCMH has prepared plans regarding the recent outbreak of Ebola and more local, the respiratory enterovirus D68 that is hitting children in the Midwest.
According to the CDC, “A person infected with Ebola can’t spread the disease until symptoms appear. The time from exposure to when signs or symptoms of the disease appear (the incubation period) is 2 to 21 days, but the average time is 8 to 10 days. Signs of Ebola include fever (higher than 100.4°F) and symptoms like severe headache, muscle pain, vomiting, diarrhea, stomach pain, or unexplained bleeding or bruising.”
Ebola is spread through direct contact with blood and body fluids. Ebola is not spread through the air, water, or food. The CDC and DCMH encourage community members to protect themselves against Ebola and other viruses through the following precautions:
• DO wash your hands often with soap and water or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
• Do NOT touch the blood or body fluids (like urine, feces, saliva, vomit, sweat, and semen) of people who are sick.
• Do NOT handle items that may have come in contact with a sick person’s blood or body fluids, like clothes, bedding, needles, or medical equipment.
According to Diane McKinney, Vice President of Nursing at the Hospital, “The information on this topic is changing rapidly. The information from the CDC, ANA, AHA, etc. is being reviewed by me and by David Pavey (Director of Infection Control) on a regular basis. David has been evaluating our personal protective equipment, isolation procedures, and he met with certain relative doctors this week. He is working alongside other staff members to create a form to use to screen all patients at all points of entry (ER, Physician offices, etc.).”
Decatur County Memorial Hospital is implementing different measures within the hospital to prepare accordingly following best practice guidelines set forth by World Health Organization (WHO), Centers for Disease Control (CDC), and the Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH):
- Training front line staff as well as implementation of a screening process to identify potential risks.
- Utilizing isolation that provides best containment but also addresses patient comfort and needs.
- Training staff on putting on and taking off personal protective equipment. The new process uses a two person team with an observer.
- Using simulation to look for ways to improve the system and process, while providing hands on training for staff.
- Adding to the existing infection control policies and adding a special consideration to the Ebola disease process.
- Continuously adding or modifying personal protective equipment to make sure that it reflects best practices with the new information being released by the WHO, CDC, and ISDH.
Elements of the new Med/Surg patient unit at DCMH, built last Fall, are valuable to patients who might be required to stay overnight in the hospital during this time. Private patient rooms, in-room baths, precautionary room ID sliders and hospitalist, Dr. Jennifer Fletcher, on the floor seven-days-a-week caring for hospitalized patients, are just some of the amenities which are most beneficial to the patient care process during times like this.
Decatur County Memorial Hospital does not want to alarm our community, rather remind everyone that they are taking the necessary precautions and responding properly. Situations like these are exactly why DCMH is important to the community.