Emergency management and infection control in a radiology department during an outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome.
The World Health Organization classified Taiwan as a serious epidemic-stricken area when the extent of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in Taiwan became clear. As of 11 July 2003, 671 probable SARS cases had been identified in Taiwan and 7 healthcare workers had died from the disease. Radiographers were easily infected by SARS because they had close contact with suspected or probable cases while conducting chest X-ray examinations. Three radiographers had been infected by the end of May 2003. Because of the impact of SARS on the Radiology Department, the department established a SARS emergency infection control team and re-designed the department's infection-control and emergency-management procedures based on the concept of risk-grade protection. This effort included installing a radiographic room at the fever-screening station, re-allocating human resources in the Radiology Department, training the department staff in infection control, and drafting new operational procedures for radiographers conducting X-ray examinations on SARS patients. The goal of this program was to reduce the infection rate and distribute materials efficiently in the department. This article introduces the emergency-management procedure of the Radiology Department during the SARS outbreak and the infection-protection experience of the department staff.
Lin
Y C
YC
Department of Radiology, Cheng Hsin Rehabilitation Medical Center, Taipei, Taiwan.
Dong
S L
SL
Yeh
Y H
YH
Wu
Y S
YS
Lan
G Y
GY
Liu
C M
CM
Chu
T C
TC
D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D004630:Emergencies; D006801:Humans; D017053:Infection Control / Q000379:methods / Q000458:organization & administration*; D017758:Infectious Disease Transmission, Patient-to-Professional / Q000517:prevention & control*; D010356:Patient Isolation; D011482:Protective Devices; D011859:Radiography; D011872:Radiology Department, Hospital / Q000458:organization & administration*; D045169:Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000635:transmission; D013624:Taiwan / Q000453:epidemiology