Zweers Luca N, Tingen-Wieland Manon, Bowles Edmée, van Tricht Jacqueline, Velers Jos, Tostmann Alma, Rovers Chantal P
Luca N. Zweers, MSc, is a PhD Candidate and Project Team Member, and Chantal P. Rovers, MD, PhD, is an Infectious Diseases Specialist, Full Professor, and Medical Manager; both in the High-Level Isolation Unit, Department of Internal Medicine, Radboudumc Community for Infectious Diseases. Manon W. M. Tingen-Wieland is an Infection Prevention and Control Expert, Edmée C. Bowles, MD, is a Clinical Microbiologist and Unit Head, and Alma Tostmann, PhD, is an Infectious Diseases Epidemiologist and Deputy Unit Head; all in the Infection Prevention and Control Unit, Department of Medical Microbiology, Radboudumc Community for Infectious Diseases. Jacqueline M. van Tricht and Jos Velers are Learning and Development Advisors, Radboudumc Health Academy. All authors are at the Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
Health Secur. 2024 Sep;22(S1):S4-S16. doi: 10.1089/hs.2023.0147. Epub 2024 Jul 25.
Patients with high-consequence infectious diseases (HCIDs) require high-quality care by specially trained staff in a high-level isolation unit (HLIU) that follows strict infection prevention and control (IPC) measures. Caring for patients with (suspected) HCID is challenging, mainly because of the strict personal protective equipment (PPE) and IPC protocols healthcare workers (HCW) must adhere to for protection. The Radboud University Medical Center, located in Nijmegen, the Netherlands, has been a dedicated HLIU facility since 2008. A newly built HLIU opened in May 2022, and encouraged us to review the existing PPE selection, IPC protocols, and HCID training program to improve safety and comfort for HCWs working in the HLIU. Based on a systematic search through (inter)national HCID PPE guidelines and semistructured interviews with end users, we selected an improved, more comfortable set of PPE. Additionally, we developed a more concise and easier-to-use patient care process flow and implemented a new teaching strategy. The new way of working was tested in October 2022 when the first 2 patients with suspected HCID were admitted to our unit. We used surveys to evaluate the experiences of HCWs involved in this care to further improve the workflow of the unit. When optimizing safety and comfort for HCWs, it is important to consider (inter)national guidelines as well as user preferences. By systematically evaluating recent experiences of patient admission to the HLIU and then adjusting protocols and training, we can ensure that the quality of provided healthcare and the safety of HCWs working in the HLIU remains high.
患有高后果传染病（HCIDs）的患者需要在遵循严格感染预防与控制（IPC）措施的高级隔离单元（HLIU）中，由经过专门培训的工作人员提供高质量护理。护理（疑似）HCID患者具有挑战性，主要是因为医护人员（HCW）必须遵守严格的个人防护装备（PPE）和IPC协议以进行自我保护。位于荷兰奈梅亨的拉德堡德大学医学中心自2008年起就是一个专门的HLIU设施。2022年5月新建的HLIU启用，这促使我们审视现有的PPE选择、IPC协议和HCID培训项目，以提高在HLIU工作的医护人员的安全性和舒适度。通过对（国际）国家HCID PPE指南进行系统检索并与终端用户进行半结构化访谈，我们选择了一套改进的、更舒适的PPE。此外，我们制定了一个更简洁、更易于使用的患者护理流程，并实施了一种新的教学策略。2022年10月，当首批2名疑似HCID患者入住我们科室时，对这种新的工作方式进行了测试。我们通过调查来评估参与该护理工作的医护人员的体验，以进一步优化科室的工作流程。在优化医护人员的安全性和舒适度时，考虑（国际）国家指南以及用户偏好非常重要。通过系统评估近期患者入住HLIU的经验，然后调整协议和培训，我们可以确保所提供医疗服务的质量以及在HLIU工作的医护人员的安全保持在较高水平。
