SARS plan offers tools, but could be hard to use
ED managers are no longer on their own when it comes to figuring out how to respond to prepare and respond to a resurgence of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) — but they’re not home free just yet.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently released a draft version of its plan for what you should do, and though you’re likely to find useful tools and strategies, some may be difficult to implement.
ED managers probably will welcome the advice, but they may be less thrilled when they realize how much it costs to follow some of the guidelines, says Brian F. Keaton, MD, FACEP, attending physician in department of emergency medicine at Summa Health System, in Akron, OH, and secretary treasure of the American College of Emergency Physicians in Washington, DC.
He urges ED managers to study the many tools and resources provided in the plan and incorporate them in their SARS response plans when possible.
But Keaton also notes that the CDC’s plan represents a "best possible response" that requires money and resources to implement. While he has no disagreement with the CDC plan, he doesn’t think every ED will be able to implement it fully.
"While I’m happy to get the specific guidance, I’d also like to get some of the resources that I’ll need to do these things in my ED," he says.
"You’re looking at some pretty substantial resource demands for something that might happen, as opposed to spending that money on things that happen every day. Those are the realities we face when we look at implementing these plans," Keaton adds.
Health officials caution that SARS may return with this year’s flu season, and it may be difficult to distinguish from the common malady.
Keaton and other experts say emergency physicians and department managers should pay attention to public health trends because they will determine how much diagnosing SARS should be a concern in your own ED.
Algorithms for screening potential SARS
Keaton says some of the specific guidance in the CDC’s SARS plan may help alleviate the uncertainty about how to screen for SARS. In particular, ED managers and physicians may find useful the CDC’s two algorithms for evaluation and management of patients with radiographic evidence of pneumonia — one to use when there is no evidence of SARS activity worldwide, and one to use when SARS has been reported. (For one of the algorithms, click here. To download the entire CDC plan free of charge, go to www.cdc.gov/ncidod/sars/sarsprepplan.htm.)
The plan outlines the concepts and strategies that the CDC says should guide the U.S. response in the event of a SARS outbreak. It provides specific guidance to ED managers and also describes many of the activities needed at the federal, state, and local levels to prepare for and respond rapidly and decisively to a re-emergence of SARS.
Hospitals, state, and local health departments and other public health providers will have an opportunity to comment on the draft before it becomes final, but the CDC suggests that much of its content can be used immediately.
"The CDC guidelines are good ideas," Keaton points out. "They provide a huge service to EDs in that they give us an organized structure and specific strategies to follow."
Sources
For more information, contact:
• Brian F. Keaton, MD, Secretary Treasurer, American College of Emergency Physicians, 2121 K St., Suite 325, Washington, DC 20037. Telephone: (800) 320-0610.
ED managers are no longer on their own when it comes to figuring out how to respond to prepare and respond to a resurgence of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) but theyre not home free just yet.You have reached your article limit for the month. Subscribe now to access this article plus other member-only content.
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