Open AccessAnaesthesia and Critical Care Department at a Major Academic Centre’s Adaptation to Face the COVID-19 Pandemic
Author(s) -
Sara Farsi,
Nada Noaman,
Auhood Bukhary,
Wadeeah Bahaziq,
Alaa Sabbahi,
Ibrahim Abushoshah,
Abdulaziz Boker
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
international journal of general medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.722
H-Index - 36
ISSN - 1178-7074
DOI - 10.2147/ijgm.s318336
Subject(s) - medicine , covid-19 , pandemic , emergency department , government (linguistics) , face masks , intensive care , medical emergency , health care , nursing , intensive care medicine , infectious disease (medical specialty) , virology , disease , pathology , outbreak , linguistics , philosophy , economics , economic growth
The new novel coronavirus is having a major impact on healthcare systems internationally. Hospitals are struggling to manage the sudden influx of critical patients. Anaesthesiologists and critical care physicians are front liners in the fight against COVID-19 and carry the highest risk of getting infected. Due to the rapid response of the Saudi government to the WHO's early warning, we were fortunate at our hospital to see a slower rise in COVID-19 cases allowing us some time to prepare. We had to make room for the expected rise in highly infectious and critical patients, while at the same time protecting non-COVID-19 patients, staff and trainees. Additionally, the team continued to provide essential and specialized care to all patients in the hospital and maintain its academic and non-clinical services within the university. This review presents the different protocols, challenges and lessons learned during the development of a COVID-19 anaesthesia and critical care department plan in a major teaching hospital in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Our ultimate aim is to share our experience with other similar institutions.