Ebola's arrival in the U.S. has intensified hospitals' concerns that they may not be prepared to deal with infectious diseases, according to an article on the Modern Healthcare website.
Experts say the Ebola-related education and training efforts may lead to more hospitals revamping their protocols and being more prepared in the future for a range of infectious diseases.
“The current crisis really sheds light on how critically important properly resourced infection prevention programs are,” said Linda Green, a member of Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology's regulatory review panel. “If you don't have the resources, you don't know where the gaps are.”
According to a recent poll, only 6 percent of respondents felt their facility could handle a case. Of the respondents, 40 percent said their facility was only “somewhat prepared.” About half said their facility staffed at least one full-time infection preventionist, an expert who identifies sources of infections and helps limit their transmission in healthcare facilities.
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