Regardless of size or location, it is extremely rare to find a hospital in the United States with the physical facilities required, such as negative pressure isolation rooms, to isolate more than one or two Ebola patients, according to a survey by Black Book Rankings, a division of Black Book Market Research.
The survey polled 970 U.S. hospital administrators, physicians, clinical leaders and nurses.
Key findings of the survey include:
• Emergency preparedness drills for biological disease outbreaks and Ebola specific admissions have been practiced by fewer than 8 percent of hospitals within the past 12 months.
• Nine out of 10 emergency physicians in hospitals of less than 400 beds are convinced their assigned hospital is not prepared to diagnose, isolate and treat a single Ebola patient.
• Also, 88 percent of emergency department physicians and nurses say their hospital cannot handle any community or staff quarantine activities at their campus.
• Eighty-nine percent of hospital nurses and physicians state that often a needed supply or drug item was not in stock or unavailable at their hospital for infectious disease patients in the last three months.
• Hospitals typically self-assess their own disaster or infection control preparedness and in 2013, 97 percent did not make any major changes to annual plans.
• Ninety-six percent of hospital operations managers state that housekeeping, maintenance and dietary staff have not received training in Ebola or other highly dangerous and infectious patient supply disposal and/or equipment sterilization.
• Also, 93 percent expect staff members who have not received training to call off or refuse assignments in hospital areas treating Ebola patients.
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