Preparedness of COVID 19 in our hospital setting

Abstract

Objective: Ours is a multispecialty non-covid hospital, therefore the objective was to do strategic preparedness and to make response plan for our hospital during covid 19. Main aims were, 1. To protect staff & healthcare workers from getting infected. 2. To be able to offer uninterrupted services to all our patients.3. To prevent hospitalization of COVID-19 patients in our setup.Methods It is a retrospective study of 9 months from 1st April 2020 to 31st December 2020 in which we assessed the nonstop working of our OPD, IPD, emergency and OT. Different strategies were adopted according to the interim guidance protocols of WHO and Government of India guidelines to deal with the crisis situation of the COVID-19 pandemic. Results Our adopted strategies were directed to mitigate the challenges of administration, hospital space organization, management of staff and supplies, maintenance of standard of care, and ethics during this pandemic. We formulated protocols and guidelines for uninterrupted service and that data is being now used for our own improvement and further planning. Data was tabulated and converted into bar diagrams. Various aspects were analysed and future protocols and policies were deviced. Based on strategies adopted by us, we feel more confident and prepared to deal with COVID-19 pandemic.Conclusion Strict Adherence to the WHO and Government of India guideline, Meticulous planning, adequate protection of health care workers, uninterrupted supply of PPE kit, sanitizers masks, proper screening and early detection and transfer of suspected cases were the key features in the fight with COVID-19. Our approach for preparing for the COVID-19 pandemic may not be the best one but we believe that the basic managerial principles we adopted will guide many other institutions to find their path in tackling the pandemic in the best possible way.