EXPLANATION
The medical clerk follows initial recommendations for a patient presenting with symptoms consistent with Middle East respiratory coronavirus (MERS-CoV) and a positive travel history. The nurse’s immediate and initial action is to protect themselves and other patients by donning PPE.
Once the donning of appropriate PPE is completed, the patient will then be escorted to the airborne infection isolation room (AIIR). Simply taking the patient to a separate area is not recommended for these symptoms, as the patient needs to be in a negative pressure room to protect against the spread of potential infection.
Prompt notification of suspected or known MERS-CoV to the infection prevention, epidemiology, hospital, or clinic leadership teams, etc, is important once the staff and patient are safe.
REFERENCES
- Interim Infection Prevention and Control Recommendations for Hospitalized Patients with Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV). Centers for Disease Control. Available at: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/mers/infection-prevention-control.html. Updated September 14, 2017. Accessed October 14, 2017.
