The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has released a video demonstration that offers step-by-step guidance regarding its new personal protective equipment (PPE) recommendations for patients with suspected or confirmed Ebola virus disease. Produced for healthcare professionals in collaboration with Medscape, the 13-minute video demonstrates one methodology for donning and doffing PPE safely. Other new Ebola resources available from CDC include a clinical slide set, a list of considerations to help clinicians evaluate whether they should discharge a person under investigation for Ebola who has not had a negative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction test, and a new webpage containing links to all of its question and answer documents on Ebola. In addition to CDC, several other state public health departments and healthcare systems have also recently released guidance and training programs for healthcare personnel caring for patients with the disease. The Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology and the Johns Hopkins Armstrong Institute for Patient Safety and Quality have released a free online training program on personal protective equipment use, the University of Nebraska Medical Center and Nebraska Medicine released a free online course to help educate the general public about Ebola, North Shore-LIJ Health System released an Ebola preparedness guide for healthcare organizations and local governments, and the North Carolina Division of Public Health recently posted a video that demonstrates donning and doffing of personal protective equipment in hospital Ebola isolation units. Many news stories and resources continue to emerge regarding the outbreak, including the following:
- An October 31, 2014, NBC News article examines how the quarantine debate has discouraged doctors, nurses, and other workers from signing up to go to Africa and battle the outbreak where help is needed most.
- An October 30, 2014, New York Times article reports that New York officials will offer employee protection and financial guarantees for healthcare workers joining the fight against the Ebola outbreak in West Africa.
- An October 30, 2014, NPR blog post discusses the public's fears surrounding Ebola.
- An October 30, 2014, Reuters article explores how genetic differences may affect chances for Ebola survival.
HRC Recommends: In light of the potential threat posed by the Ebola outbreak in West Africa and the subsequent diagnosis of patients in the United States, healthcare organizations should ensure that staff receive training in CDC's current guidance for using personal protective equipment while caring for patients with suspected or confirmed Ebola virus disease. Facilities should also review their emergency preparedness plans, especially components that relate to infectious disease, and prepare to follow guidance available from CDC, as well as any applicable state regulations.