Objective: The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) epidemic occurred suddenly, and had a severe impact on the whole society, especially the health care system. The purpose of this article is to share the experience of infection control management in the ultrasound department of China-Japan Friendship Hospital in response to the epidemic.
Methods: In accordance with relevant academic guidance and consensus guidelines, the ultrasound department followed principles of prevention and control which were promulgated by the hospital, combined management measures with the characteristics of ultrasound diagnosis and treatment, to control infection during the epidemic period. These measures included reducing the number of patients and doctors, using targeted protection standards in different work areas, and strengthening the training of staff in the department.
Results: During the epidemic in February to March 2020, the ultrasound department completed a total of 10,719 cases in the outpatient area (a decrease of 68.3% compared with the same period last year) and 1,583 cases from emergency (including 53 cases from the fever clinic). While the clinical needs were met, there was zero infection with COVID-19 of all health care staff in the ultrasound department during the epidemic.
Conclusions: We hope the valuable experience of infection control management in our ultrasound department in response to the epidemic can help global ultrasound doctors be prepared for the pandemic. The teams of ultrasound departments should also work closely with local infection control colleagues to implement measures that are appropriate for their own clinical settings to overcome the pandemic.