The American Association for Accreditation of Ambulatory Surgery Facilities (AAAASF) is providing a facility preparedness checklist for Ebola to outpatient facilities:
- Monitor the situation at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website at http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola.
- Assess and ensure availability of appropriate personal protective equipment and other infection control supplies such as hand hygiene supplies.
- Review facility infection control policies.
- Recognize a case of Ebola, and be prepared to use appropriate infection control measures. signs and symptoms typically include a fever of more than 101.5 degrees Fahrenheit, severe headache, muscle pain, vomiting, diarrhea, stomach pain, and unexplained bleeding or bruising. Symptoms may appear anywhere 2-21 days after exposure to Ebola, with the average being 8-10 days.
- Review environmental cleaning procedures.
- Begin education and refresher training for providers on Ebola virus disease signs and symptoms, diagnosis, how to obtain specimens for testing, triage procedures, employee sick leave policies, how and to whom Ebola cases should be reported, and procedures to take following unprotected exposures.
- Avoid contact with the blood or bodily fluids of an infected patient.
- Have the capability to request diagnostic tests or prepare samples for shipping and testing elsewhere.
- Ensure laboratories review procedures for appropriate specimen collection, transport, and testing of specimens from patients who might be infected with Ebola virus.
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