Management of Patient Flow in Vascular and Interventional Radiology During MERS-CoV Outbreak

Sheila Lomongo; Khalid Alyousef; Reetta Mustonen; Khalid Othman

doi:10.1016/j.jradnu.2017.06.003

Management of Patient Flow in Vascular and Interventional Radiology During MERS-CoV Outbreak

J Radiol Nurs. 2017 Sep;36(3):184-187. doi: 10.1016/j.jradnu.2017.06.003. Epub 2017 Aug 30.

Authors

Sheila Lomongo¹, Khalid Alyousef¹, Reetta Mustonen¹, Khalid Othman¹

Affiliation

¹ King Abdulaziz Medical City, National Guard Health Affairs, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Abstract

In 2015, an outbreak of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus occurred in Saudi Arabia and necessitated special measures to be implemented to control the spread of the virus. In this article, we will discuss how the outbreak was managed in the vascular and interventional radiology (VIR) suite in a large tertiary care hospital in Saudi Arabia. Various measures were taken to reduce the risk of transmission of infection. Unit-level education played an important role in the care of patients. A hospital-wide educational program was implemented to ensure zero transmission of infection. Special attention was made to monitor staff who acquired the virus. VIR suite was able to handle the situation and control the outbreak.

Keywords: Infection control; MERS-CoV; Radiology nursing.