Topic Overview:Within healthcare safety, stagnant hazards can be controlled the same way as time goes on, while dynamic hazards require situational awareness to identify and control them in real time. Infectious disease exposures are among the most dynamic of all and, among them, have multiple different hazards and risk groups. In early 2020, the United States began battling one of the most dynamic infectious disease hazards ever, one that is testing healthcare’s ability to define those at risk, prepare the most effective policies and procedures, assess and procure PPE, respirators and disinfectants, communicate expectations and needs, and follow up in real time before exposures occur. There are many lessons to be learned from the U.S. COVID-19 responses, lessons that have the potential to improve many healthcare safety tenets and potentially prevent future exposures to not only COVID-19, but also to influenza, tuberculosis, and other infectious diseases. This AOHP panel discussion brings together subject matter experts from different functionalities involved in the COVID-19 response and aggregates their input, feedback, lessons learned, and advice for the benefit of all healthcare workers and patients alike. A panel discussion and Q&A will follow the speaker presentations.
Objectives:- Name the different at-risk groups pertaining to COVID-19.
- Determine the hazard control needs, shortfalls, and limiting factors for COVID-19 responses.
- Describe local system-wide occupational health surveillance tools.
- Discuss logistics for occupational infection prevention and control.
- Review the facilitation of successful elastomeric respiratory protection programs.
- Ascertain communication methods for COVID-19 safety messaging.
- Identify lessons learned from COVID-19’s leading and lagging indicators and investigations.
