A Survey of COVID-19 Preparedness Among Hospitals in Idaho.

BACKGROUND

SARS-CoV-2 has been implicated in the largest recorded coronavirus outbreak to date. Initially, most COVID-19 cases were in China, but the virus has spread to more than 184 countries worldwide, and the United States currently has more cases than any other country.

OBJECTIVE

With person-to-person spread expanding in the United States, we describe hospital preparedness for managing suspected and confirmed COVID-19 patients.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional survey focused on various elements of respiratory disease preparedness.

SETTING

Critical access hospitals (CAHs) and acute-care hospitals (ACHs) in Idaho.

METHODS

The electronic survey was sent to infection preventionists (IPs) and nurse administrators in 44 hospitals in Idaho.

RESULTS

Overall, 32 (73%) hospitals responded to the survey. Participating facilities reported their preparedness with respect to existing, formalized structures for managing infectious disease incidents-specifically COVID-19-as well as availability of resources, such as isolation rooms and personal protective equipment, for safely managing suspected and confirmed COVID-19 cases.

CONCLUSIONS

Hospitals covered by the survey had varying levels of preparedness for managing COVID-19 cases, with differences across the various categories of interest in this study. Although the study reveals strengths, including in application of emergency management and infection control frameworks, it also suggests that other areas, such as consistent implementation of federal guidelines and requirements for infection prevention, are potential areas for strengthening preparedness for SARS-CoV-2 and other respiratory pathogens with pandemic potential.