AMA, AAAASF offer Ebola resources

The AMA and the American Association for Accreditation of Ambulatory Surgery Facilities, Inc. (AAAASF) separately announced new resources for Ebola. The AMA has created an online Ebola Resource Center for healthcare organizations and providers. The webpage offers the latest news, a CDC fact sheet about the disease, and resources for preparing a hospital or practice. AMA stated that it will update this resource center regularly to provide information to physicians and other healthcare workers.

Separately, the AAAASF this week released a facility preparedness checklist for Ebola. According to the checklist, AAAASF-accredited outpatient facilities should:

• Monitor the situation at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website at www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola.
• Assess and ensure availability of appropriate personal protective equipment and other infection control supplies such as hand hygiene supplies.
• Review facility infection control policies.
• Recognize a case of Ebola and be prepared to use appropriate infection control measures.
• Review environmental cleaning procedures.
• Begin education and refresher training for healthcare providers on Ebola signs and symptoms, diagnosis, how to obtain specimens for testing, triage procedures, employee sick leave policies, how and to whom Ebola cases should be reported, and procedures to take following unprotected exposures.

Source: AAAASF, AMA