What providers can learn from infectious disease outbreaks

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Wed, 2015-01-07 16:56 — mike kraft

FIERCEHEALTHCARE by Leslie Small Jan. 5. 2015

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With the Ebola crisis far from over as a new year begins, both this current threat to global health as well as past infectious disease outbreaks carry important lessons for critical care providers, according to an article in the American Journal of Critical Care.

Because new pathogens are so unpredictable, "outbreaks reinforce the importance of critical care knowledge, skill and teamwork in uncertain situations," wrote Cindy L. Munro, R.N., Ph.D., and Richard H. Savel, M.D, both editors of the AJCC. "The recent Ebola outbreak reminds us that hand-washing, personal protective equipment and pristine technique are essential."

But while hospitals across the country step up readiness to meet the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's evolving guidelines to deal with Ebola patients, a recent report indicated that the United States is still fundamentally unprepared for future disease outbreaks, FierceHealthcare reported.

http://www.fiercehealthcare.com/story/what-providers-can-learn-infectious-disease-outbreaks/2015-01-05
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Viral Outbreaks in an Age of Global Citizenship

by Cindy L. Munro, RN, PhD, ANP and Richard H. Savel, MD

..."Because outbreaks involve novel pathogens, they challenge our thinking. Although experience serves as an initial rough guide for responses to outbreaks, novel pathogens are unpredictable and often defy conventional wisdom. Research is difficult to conduct during an outbreak. Resources are scarce, and the focus is appropriately on the urgent needs of reducing the spread of disease and providing supportive care to victims. Despite the difficulties, research to develop novel diagnostic strategies, therapies, and vaccines is crucial and offers broad potential benefit to future patients. Interestingly, all of the viral pathogens in Table 1 have zoonotic connections. Research that improves our understanding of animal sources and zoonotic transmission, as well as surveillance of viral pathogens in animals, is underdeveloped and underfunded, but it is vital to prevention of future outbreaks...."