Preparing for future pandemic
In order to develop our healthcare service, it is vital that we learn
from this experience to improve our preparedness for future pandemic
situations. The lessons main learned are those surrounding management of
resources in order to appropriately manage the pandemic situation,
whilst maintaining sufficient services to allow the management of other
patients with time-critical illness. Firstly, organisation of staffing
and preparing for staff sickness and absence is vital in order to
maintain the service. To achieve this, prompt cessation of elective
theatre and clinics should be instated to enable staff to be redeployed
to areas of greatest need and unavoidable surgery needs to be
prioritised appropriately to limit patient throughflow. Any required
meetings should be performed virtually to reduce risk of transmission.
Patients should be manged through virtual clinics where possible and if
patient attendance is absolutely necessary, all investigations should be
performed during the same visit and treatment commenced where possible
to limit patient appointments. Routine screening should be postponed
until after the pandemic. Non-infective patients should be managed in a
geographically distinct area from those with infection and surgery
should be performed in a negative pressure environment to limit
transmission. In addition, surgical procedures may need to be altered to
reduce operating time, reduce post-operative recovery and its associated
hospital admission. Alternatives to surgery should be explored where
possible to reduce the number of patients requiring admission where they
risk exposure to infection and occupy limited resources. Finally,
planning needs to be commenced early regarding the reinstating of
services in order to deal with the incurred backlog secondary to the
pandemic to ensure patients are followed up appropriately to avoid
excess morbidity and mortality.