Abstract
To describe a pilot project infection prevention and control (IPC) assessment conducted in skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) in New York State (NYS) during a pivotal 2-week period when the region became the nation's epicenter for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). A telephone and video assessment of IPC measures in SNFs at high risk or experiencing COVID-19 activity. SNFs in 14 New York counties, including New York City. A 3-component remote IPC assessment: (1) screening tool; (2) telephone IPC checklist; and (3) COVID-19 video IPC assessment (ie, "COVIDeo"). In total, 92 SNFs completed the IPC screening tool and checklist: 52 (57%) were conducted as part COVID-19 investigations, and 40 (43%) were proactive prevention-based assessments. Among the 40 proactive assessments, 14 (35%) identified suspected or confirmed COVID-19 cases. COVIDeo was performed in 26 (28%) of 92 assessments and provided observations that other tools would have missed: personal protective equipment (PPE) that was not easily accessible, redundant, or improperly donned, doffed, or stored and specific challenges implementing IPC in specialty populations. The IPC assessments took ∼1 hour each and reached an estimated 4 times as many SNFs as on-site visits in a similar time frame. Remote IPC assessments by telephone and video were timely and feasible methods of assessing the extent to which IPC interventions had been implemented in a vulnerable setting and to disseminate real-time recommendations. Remote assessments are now being implemented across New York State and in various healthcare facility types. Similar methods have been adapted nationally by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Highlights
Remote infection prevention and control (IPC) assessments by telephone and video were timely and feasible methods of assessing the extent to which IPC interventions had been implemented in a vulnerable setting and to disseminate real-time recommendations
Remote assessments are being implemented across New York State and in various healthcare facility types
On March 11, 2020, The World Health Organization declared the spread of severe acute respiratory coronavirus virus 2 (SARS-CoV2), the novel coronavirus that causes coronavirus disease 19
Summary
Licensed skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) in the 14-county greater metropolitan area, including New York City’s 5 boroughs (The Bronx, Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn, and Staten Island), Dutchess, Nassau, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Suffolk, Sullivan, Ulster, and Westchester counties. The IPC tools were initially designed for proactive preventionbased assessments and were adapted for response-based assessments. Proactive assessments were prioritized for SNFs near hospitals reporting COVID-19 cases, in new geographical areas, or in areas with widespread community transmission. Responsebased assessments were prioritized for facilities reporting known COVID-19–positive residents or staff, deaths in COVID-19–positive patients, or clusters of influenza-like illness through several passive surveillance mechanisms. 10 public health epidemiologists with infection prevention expertise were involved in the development and/or use of the IPC assessment tools
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