COVID-19 (Coronavirus) Outbreak Preparedness Center
Infection control and outbreak preparedness resources for hospitals and healthcare providers
The World Health Organization named the COVID-19 outbreak associated with transmission of the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) a public health emergency of international concern. First reported from Wuhan, China, 12/31/19, the virus has rapidly spread across continents, with more than 60,000 confirmed cases and more than 1,300 deaths. The epidemic poses a potent economic threat as well as a public health crisis.
Hospitals that are currently assessing their preparedness or actively responding to the COVID-19 outbreak are looking for alternative suppliers of certain personal protective equipment (PPE). While most facilities may have adequate supplies of goggles, masks, and gowns on hand for emergencies and infectious outbreaks, shortages may occur.
For healthcare professionals, the thought of being unprepared or under-prepared for coronavirus, or other public health crisis, is alarming. Immediate steps should be taken to assess preparedness to handle this crisis.
In keeping with its mission of effective, evidence-based healthcare globally, ECRI has developed this COVID-19 (Coronavirus) Outbreak Preparedness Center to help hospitals protect healthcare workers as well as patients. This site includes:
- Preparation and patient handling checklists
- Equipment and alternative supplier lists
- Patient care equipment evaluations, including portable ventilators
- Recommendations for infection control
- Links to Centers for Disease Control and World Health Organization
This compendium of resources is freely available to the public—no membership or other payment is required to access it. The site will be updated as newer information becomes available. Bookmark the site and check back frequently. We would like to hear from you. Send your questions and comments to us at communications@ecri.org.
ECRI Institute resources
Guidance articles
- Overview of Infection Prevention and Control: Guidance to help healthcare organizations develop procedures for responding to outbreaks.
Medical device resources
- Outbreak Preparedness and Response: The Essentials: Checklists, equipment recommendations, alternate suppliers, and infection control guidelines to help biomedical and clinical engineers, supply chain professionals, and clinicians prepare for contagious outbreaks.
- Portable and Transport Ventilator Evaluations: Overview and ratings of ventilators used for in-hospital transport, long-term care, and mass-casualty critical care.
- Personal Protective Equipment Alternative Suppliers: A comprehensive go-to directory of alternative suppliers organized by equipment type: respirators, shoe covers, masks, gowns, glove and garment dispensers, safety eyewear, and face shields.
- Emergency Preparedness Device List: A list of bioterrorism and emergency preparedness devices organized according to ECRI Institute's Universal Medical Device Nomenclature System (UMDNS) device terms.
- High-Priority Alert: EHR Screening for Wuhan Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV): If electronic health records (EHRs) are not configured to effectively screen patients for Coronavirus (2019-nCoV), staff may not be alerted to take the necessary isolation precautions.
- Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Supply Equivalents: Best matches for the three most popular exam gloves, respirators, isolation gowns, shoe covers, and surgical masks, based on key performance indicators (KPIs) and functional equivalence. Proprietary database includes manufacturer name, catalog number, percentage match, and KPI details.
Consulting and certification programs
- Infection Prevention Consultation: On-site consultations with ECRI Institute’s certified infection preventionists to identify vulnerabilities that may result in increased infections
- Healthcare Environmental Management Certification Program: The only comprehensive online certification and training program for Healthcare Environmental Management (HEM) with focused training on personal protective equipment and infection control.