The successful development and implementation of an off campus triage system during the COVID-19 pandemic in Guangdong, China

Ri-Hua Xie,Shi Wu Wen,D William Cameron,Smita Pakhale,Lepeng Zhou,Jie Wang,Daniel Krewski,Yanfang Chen,Ning Li,Ziyu Xiong

doi:10.3396/ijic.v17.20918

Abstract

To deal with the public health crisis caused by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak, we developed an off campus triage system at entry points to the outpatient, emergency, and inpatient departments. To enhance this off campus triage system, we implemented intensive staff training and made detailed triage plans with a timely referral. Of the 85,414 patients/visitors who visited The Seventh Affiliated Hospital of Southern Medical University, one of the government-designated hospitals to triage-suspected COVID-19 patients between January 22 and March 10, 2020, 359 patients were triaged to the COVID-19 fever clinic and 1,218 were triaged to the general fever clinic; 187 were suspected of COVID-19 infection and quarantined; and four cases of COVID-19 were confirmed and referred. During the outbreak, no inhospital infection and no complaint from patients and their family members occurred, and up to September 10, 2020, no new cases of COVID-19 in this hospital or its catchment area were detected. The off campus triage system is an effective approach to improve the detection of COVID-19 infection and reduce inhospital cross infection.

Highlights

An unprecedented outbreak of pneumonia of unknown etiology in Wuhan, Hubei, China, emerged in December 2019
The Seventh Affiliated Hospital, one of the main teaching hospitals of Southern Medical University, is a designated hospital for the fever clinic for the COVID-19 outbreak in Foshan, Guangdong. To deal with this public health crisis and to reduce inhospital cross infection, we developed an off campus triage system at entry points to the outpatient, emergency, and inpatient departments for all patients and visitor, with or without respiratory symptoms
As the first step in responding to the public health crisis caused by the outbreak of COVID-19, we set up tents to establish triage points at the entrance of the outpatient, emergency, and inpatient departments outside the hospital

Summary

PRACTICE FORUM

The successful development and implementation of an off campus triage system during the COVID-19 pandemic in Guangdong, China. Ri-hua Xie1,2,Yanfang Chen, Ziyu Xiong, Jie Wang, Lepeng Zhou, Ning Li2,3, Smita Pakhale, D.

The development and implementation of the off campus triage system

General fever clinic

Triage to

Clinic site sent Triage erature visit visit

Discussion

Staff training