How Should U.S. Hospitals Prepare for Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)?

Vineet Chopra; Eric Toner; Richard Waldhorn; Laraine Washer

doi:10.7326/M20-0907

How Should U.S. Hospitals Prepare for Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)?

Ann Intern Med. 2020 May 5;172(9):621-622. doi: 10.7326/M20-0907. Epub 2020 Mar 11.

Authors

Vineet Chopra¹, Eric Toner², Richard Waldhorn³, Laraine Washer¹

Affiliations

¹ University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan (V.C., L.W.).
² Center for Health Security, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland (E.T.).
³ Georgetown University, Washington, DC, and Center for Health Security, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland (R.W.).

Abstract

Estimates suggest that COVID-19 will stress bed capacity, equipment, and health care personnel in U.S. hospitals in ways not previously experienced. How can health systems prepare to care for a large influx of patients with this disease?

MeSH terms

Betacoronavirus*
COVID-19
Coronavirus Infections / epidemiology
Coronavirus Infections / therapy*
Cross Infection / prevention & control
Equipment and Supplies, Hospital*
Hospital Bed Capacity
Hospitals* / standards
Humans
Infectious Disease Transmission, Patient-to-Professional / prevention & control
Pandemics
Pneumonia, Viral / epidemiology
Pneumonia, Viral / therapy*
SARS-CoV-2
United States