Emergency departments and the COVID-19 pandemic: making the most of limited resources
Rob Mitchell, Colin Banks
Abstract
Dear Editor, The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic will stretch hospital resources all over the world. EDs in high-income countries are not immune, but those in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) are likely to be impacted more significantly. Emerging data speak to overwhelming demands for care and widespread disruption of hospital functioning.1 In order to support colleagues in resource-limited settings, the Australasian College from Emergency Medicine (ACEM) has developed a free guide for emergency care (EC) clinicians in LMICs preparing for a surge of patients with …
Topics & Concepts
MedicinePandemicCoronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)Limited resourcesMedical emergency2019-20 coronavirus outbreakLow and middle income countriesSurge CapacitySevere acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)MEDLINEFamily medicineDeveloping countryDiseaseInfectious disease (medical specialty)Economic growthVirologyPathologyEconomicsRisk analysis (engineering)OutbreakPolitical scienceLawCOVID-19 and healthcare impactsDisaster Response and ManagementTrauma and Emergency Care Studies