An Associated Press review of hospital readiness, hospital capacity and other emergency readiness capabilities has found the U.S. hospital system is unprepared for an Ebola outbreak.
To come to this conclusion, the AP examined training, manpower, funding, emergency department issues, supplies, infection control and protection for healthcare workers and considered interviews with experts in each of these fields, according to a report from ABC News.
Among the AP's biggest red flags in its investigation were:
Materials and supplies. There are only a few specialized contamination units across the country equipped to deal with diseases like Ebola. Other hospitals could purchase the correct equipment to deal with Ebola patients to CDC standards; however, there is not enough equipment in supply — protective suits and mechanical ventilators among the necessary items — to appropriately equip every hospital in the U.S., according to the report.
Training. Emergency and outbreak training is already a challenge for hospitals, according to the CDC. Inadequate emergency training combined with the newness of Ebola protocols could cause further infections, as it did in the case of Dallas Ebola patient Thomas Duncan.
Funding. Many hospitals are already in the red. An epidemic requiring a large purchase of extra materials or equipment might be out of the question for some hospitals.
Refusal to treat. AP voiced concerns that providers might refuse to treat Ebola patients. This concern is all too real; among isolation unit providers, 14 percent said they would call in sick and 50 percent of critical care providers said they would refuse to work near Ebola patients, according to the Black Book Ebola readiness survey from August.
ED problems. The emergency care system in the U.S. received a D-plus in a report card from the American College of Emergency Physicians, overwhelmed by everyday care provision. Experts AP interviewed worried any extra demands on the system would create major patient flow and care provision problems.
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