The role of hospitalists in the ebola response in the U nited S tates and abroad

Concern and fear over an infection and how best to contain its spread is a well-known storyline dating back centuries before the germ theory was hypothesized. During the Plague of Athens in the fourth century BC, upon noticing that physicians and caregivers of the sick were most at risk of dying, the Greek historian and philosopher Thucydides wrote that thwarting the disease likely required more practical measures than simple prayer to the gods. To this day, the fears of contracting disease often outstrip—or worse, override—our practical or scientific understanding. Ebola has rekindled past concerns about disease transmission, whether real or imagined. In this article we will describe the history of Ebola outside the United States as well as recent events in US hospitals. We will review guidelines for how to prepare hospitals to treat potential Ebola patients and highlight the key role that hospitalists can have in ensuring the safety of their patients and coworkers. We will also describe the emerging role of “global health hospitalists,” whose numbers are growing and whose expertise is ideally suited to improving hospital care in developing countries.