RESUMEN
The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has challenged the provision of healthcare in ways that are unprecedented in our lifetime. Planning for the sheer numbers expected during the surge has required public hospitals to de-escalate all non-essential clinical services to focus on COVID-19. Western Cape Province was the initial epicentre of the COVID-19 epidemic in South Africa (SA), and the Cape Town metro was its hardest-hit geographical region. We describe how we constructed our COVID-19 hospital-wide clinical service at Groote Schuur Hospital, the University of Cape Town's tertiary-level teaching hospital. By describing the barriers and enablers, we hope to provide guidance rather than a blueprint for hospitals elsewhere in SA and in low-resource countries that face similar challenges now or during subsequent waves.
Asunto(s)
Infecciones por Coronavirus/diagnóstico , Infecciones por Coronavirus/terapia , Hospitales Universitarios/organización & administración , Neumonía Viral/diagnóstico , Neumonía Viral/terapia , Centros de Atención Terciaria/organización & administración , Betacoronavirus , COVID-19 , Infecciones por Coronavirus/epidemiología , Registros Electrónicos de Salud/organización & administración , Servicio de Urgencia en Hospital/organización & administración , Humanos , Unidades de Cuidados Intensivos/organización & administración , Administración de Materiales de Hospital , Pandemias , Grupo de Atención al Paciente , Neumonía Viral/epidemiología , SARS-CoV-2 , Centros de Atención Secundaria , Sudáfrica/epidemiologíaRESUMEN
The COVID-19 pandemic has challenged the provision of healthcare in ways that are unprecedented in our lifetime. Planning for the sheer numbers expected during the surge has required public hospitals to de-escalate all non-essential clinical services to focus on COVID-19. Western Cape Province was the initial epicentre of the COVID-19 epidemic in South Africa (SA), and the Cape Town metro was its hardest-hit geographical region. We describe how we constructed our COVID-19 hospital-wide clinical service at Groote Schuur Hospital, the University of Cape Town's tertiary-level teaching hospital. By describing the barriers and enablers, we hope to provide guidance rather than a blueprint for hospitals elsewhere in SA and in low-resource countries that face similar challenges now or during subsequent waves
