Identification and assessment of a comprehensive set of structural factors associated with hospital costs in Switzerland.

Structural factors can influence hospital costs beyond case-mix differences. However, accepted measures on how to distinguish hospitals with regard to cost-related organizational and regional differences are lacking in Switzerland. Therefore, the objective of this study was to identify and assess a comprehensive set of hospital attributes in relation to average case-mix adjusted costs of hospitals. Using detailed hospital and patient-level data enriched with regional information, we derived a list of 23 cost predictors, examined how they are associated with costs, each other, and with different hospital types, and identified principal components within them. Our results showed that attributes describing size, complexity, and teaching-intensity of hospitals (number of beds, discharges, departments, and rate of residents) were positively related to costs and showed the largest values in university (i.e., academic teaching) and central general hospitals. Attributes related to rarity and financial risk of patient mix (ratio of rare DRGs, ratio of children, and expected loss potential based on DRG mix) were positively associated with costs and showed the largest values in children's and university hospitals. Attributes characterizing the provision of essential healthcare functions in the service area (ratio of emergency/ ambulance admissions, admissions during weekends/ nights, and admissions from nursing homes) were positively related to costs and showed the largest values in central and regional general hospitals. Regional attributes describing the location of hospitals in large agglomerations (in contrast to smaller agglomerations and rural areas) were positively associated with costs and showed the largest values in university hospitals. Furthermore, the four principal components identified within the hospital attributes fully explained the observed cost variations across different hospital types. These uncovered relationships may serve as a foundation for objectifying discussions about cost-related heterogeneity in Swiss hospitals and support policymakers to include structural characteristics into cost benchmarking and hospital reimbursement.

Sharing Reflections on Multisource Feedback in a Peer Group Setting: Stimulating Physicians' Professional Performance and Development.

PURPOSE: Reflecting on and using feedback are important for physicians' continuous professional development (CPD). A common format is the discussion of multisource feedback (MSF) in a one-on-one session with a trusted peer or coach. A new approach is to discuss MSF during a peer group session moderated by a professional facilitator. This qualitative study explored how physicians experience participation in these peer group sessions in the context of their CPD. METHOD: Between March and July 2018, 26 physicians were interviewed about their experiences in a peer group session. These physicians represented 13 monospecialty physician groups from 5 general hospitals in the Netherlands. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed iteratively, following the interpretative phenomenological approach. RESULTS: Participation was experienced as a process of disclosing and sharing personal reflections with peers while striking a balance between interpersonal proximity to and distance from peers. Sharing reflections with peers rendered the feedback more meaningful, deepened collegial relationships, and created a sense of urgency for improvement. Improvement goals were mostly related to relational fine-tuning in collaboration; goals related to individual career management remained in the background. Influential factors for the perceived effectiveness of the group sessions were related to the facilitator's expertise, group size, continuity and quality of collegial relationships, personal vulnerabilities, and the context of CPD policy. CONCLUSIONS: Peer group sessions offered interactivity and established a clear link between individual physicians and their work environments. Sharing reflections on MSF in a peer group setting provided physicians with nuanced insight into their professional performance and fostered a community spirit that supported the implementation of intended changes. Future research should focus on the role of group dynamics and communication strategies and the application of coaching principles, such as drawing up a detailed plan of action and monitoring the follow-up process.

[Disease-related malnutrition, functional parameters, and associated costs in a genaral hospital]. / Desnutrición relacionada con la enfermedad, parámetros funcionales y costes asociados en un hospital general.

INTRODUCTION: Introduction: disease-related malnutrition (DRM) affects more than 30 million people in Europe, representing about 170 billion euros each year. Despite the growing consensus for the diagnosis of DRM, it is still necessary to implement multidisciplinary and coordinated protocols for a comprehensive approach to DRM in hospitals. Objetive: to study the proportion of patients affected by DRM upon admission, as well as the duration and the cost of their stay in a general hospital. Methods: an observational cross-sectional study with a sample size of 203 subjects. From June to December 2018, a nutritional screening was carried out according to the Nutritional Risk Screening 2002 (NRS-2002); diagnoses were made according to the Global Leadership Initiative on Malnutrition (GLIM) criteria, length of stay was recorded, and the cost of stay was estimated for all patients admitted to Internal Medicine who met the selection criteria. Results: the proportion of people at risk of DRM was 28 % (57/203; 95 % CI: 22 % to 34 %). The proportion of patients diagnosed with DRM was 19 % (36/192; 95 % CI: 13 % to 24 %). Patients classified with risk or diagnosis of DRM upon admission had a longer stay than those with normal nutrition by 3 days (p < 0.01), and a higher cost by €1,803.66 (p < 0.01). Conclusions: a comprehensive, multidisciplinary approach to DRM coordinated from Primary Care to hospitals is necessary, especially in women aged ≥ 70 years with pulmonary disease.

INTRODUCCIÓN: Introducción: la desnutrición relacionada con la enfermedad (DRE) afecta en Europa a más de 30 millones de personas, lo que supone cada año unos 170.000 millones de euros. Es necesario implantar protocolos multidisciplinares para el abordaje de la DRE. Objetivo: estudiar la proporción de pacientes afectados o en riesgo de DRE al ingreso, la duración y el coste de su estancia en un hospital general. Métodos: estudio observacional de corte transversal con un tamaño muestral de 203 sujetos. De junio a diciembre de 2018 se realizó un cribado nutricional conforme al Nutritional Risk Screening 2002 (NRS-2002), se hizo un diagnóstico según los criterios de la Iniciativa de Liderazgo Mundial en Desnutrición (GLIM), se registró la duración del ingreso y se efectuó una estimación del coste de la estancia de todos los pacientes que ingresaron en medicina interna y cumplían los criterios de selección. Resultados: la proporción de personas en riesgo de DRE fue del 28 % (57/203; IC 95 %: 22 % a 34 %). La proporción de pacientes con diagnóstico de DRE fue del 19 % (36/192; IC 95 %: 13 % a 24 %). Los pacientes clasificados con riesgo o diagnóstico de DRE al ingreso tuvieron una estancia 3 días mayor que la de los normonutridos (p < 0,01) y un coste mayor que el de los normonutridos en 1.803,66 euros (p < 0,01). Conclusiones: se hace necesario un abordaje integral y multidisciplinar de la DRE coordinada desde la Comunidad, la Atención Primaria y los hospitales, especialmente en las mujeres de ≥ 70 años con patología pulmonar.

Patient Mix Optimization in Admission Planning under Multitype Patients and Priority Constraints.

Hospital beds are one of the most critical medical resources. Large hospitals in China have caused bed utilization rates to exceed 100% due to long-term extra beds. To alleviate the contradiction between the supply of high-quality medical resources and the demand for hospitalization, in this paper, we address the decision of choosing a case mix for a respiratory medicine department. We aim to generate an optimal admission plan of elective patients with the stochastic length of stay and different resource consumption. We assume that we can classify elective patients according to their registration information before admission. We formulated a general integer programming model considering heterogeneous patients and introducing patient priority constraints. The mathematical model is used to generate a scientific and reasonable admission planning, determining the best admission mix for multitype patients in a period. Compared with model II that does not consider priority constraints, model I proposed in this paper is better in terms of admissions and revenue. The proposed model I can adjust the priority parameters to meet the optimal output under different goals and scenarios. The daily admission planning for each type of patient obtained by model I can be used to assist the patient admission management in large general hospitals.

Hospital-based health systems 20 years later: A taxonomy for policy research and analysis.

OBJECTIVE: Building on the original taxonomy of hospital-based health systems from 20 years ago, we develop a new taxonomy to inform emerging public policy and practice developments. DATA SOURCES: The 2016 American Hospital Association's (AHA) Annual Survey; the 2016 IQVIA Healthcare Organizations and Systems (HCOS) database; and the 2017-2018 National Survey of Healthcare Organizations and Systems (NSHOS). STUDY DESIGN: Cluster analysis of the 2016 AHA Annual Survey data to derive measures of differentiation, centralization, and integration to create categories or types of hospital-based health systems. DATA COLLECTION: Principal components factor analysis with varimax rotation generating the factors used in the cluster algorithms. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Among the four cluster types, 54% (N = 202) of systems are decentralized (-0.35) and relatively less differentiated (-0.37); 23% of systems (N = 85) are highly differentiated (1.28) but relatively decentralized (-0.29); 15% (N = 57) are highly centralized (2.04) and highly differentiated (0.65); and approximately 9 percent (N = 33) are least differentiated (-1.35) and most decentralized (-0.64). Despite differences in calculation, the Highly Centralized, Highly Differentiated System Cluster and the Undifferentiated, Decentralized System Cluster were similar to those identified 20 years ago. The other two system clusters contained similarities as well as differences from those 20 years ago. Overall, 82 percent of the systems remain relatively decentralized suggesting they operate largely as holding companies allowing autonomy to individual hospitals operating within the system. CONCLUSIONS: The new taxonomy of hospital-based health systems bears similarities as well as differences from 20 years ago. Important applications of the taxonomy for addressing current challenges facing the healthcare system, such as the transition to value-based payment models, continued consolidation, and the growing importance of the social determinants of health, are highlighted.

Cost Minimization Analysis of a Teledermatology Triage System in a Managed Care Setting.

Importance: Teledermatology (TD) enables remote triage and management of dermatology patients. Previous analyses of TD systems have demonstrated improved access to care but an inconsistent fiscal impact. Objective: To compare the organizationwide cost of managing newly referred dermatology patients within a TD triage system vs a conventional dermatology care model at the Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center (hereafter referred to as the ZSFG) in California. Design, Setting, and Participants: A retrospective cost minimization analysis was conducted of 2098 patients referred to the dermatology department at the ZSFG between June 1 and December 31, 2017. Intervention: Implementation of the TD triage system in January 2015. Main Outcomes and Measures: The main outcome was mean cost to the health care organization to manage newly referred dermatology patients with or without TD triage. To estimate costs, decision-tree models were constructed to characterize possible care paths with TD triage and within a conventional dermatology care model. Costs associated with primary care visits, dermatology visits, and TD visits were then applied to the decision-tree models to estimate the mean cost of managing patients following each care path for 6 months. The mean cost for each visit type incorporated personnel costs, with the mean cost per TD consultation also incorporating software implementation and maintenance costs. Finally, ZSFG patient data were applied within the models to evaluate branch probabilities, enabling calculation of mean cost per patient within each model. Results: The analysis captured 2098 patients (1154 men [55.0%]; mean [SD] age, 53.4 [16.8] years), with 1099 (52.4%) having Medi-Cal insurance and 879 (41.9%) identifying as non-White. In the decision-tree model with TD triage, the mean (SD) cost per patient to the health care organization was $559.84 ($319.29). In the decision-tree model for conventional dermatology care, the mean (SD) cost per patient was $699.96 ($390.24). Therefore, the TD model demonstrated a statistically significant mean (SE) cost savings of $140.12 ($11.01) per patient. Given an annual dermatology referral volume of 3150 patients, the analysis estimates an annual savings of $441 378. Conclusions and Relevance: Implementation of a TD triage system within the dermatology department at the ZSFG was associated with cost savings, suggesting that managed health care settings may experience significant cost savings from using TD to triage and manage patients.

Analysis of the first 5 years of an interdisciplinary Rheumatology-Dermatology clinic.

BACKGROUND: Multispeciality clinics, such as combined psoriasis-psoriatic arthritis clinics, have shown improved outcomes in various diseases. At Massachusetts General Hospital, we are entering our ninth year of having an interdisciplinary Rheumatology-Dermatology (R-D) clinic. AIM: To evaluate the contribution of an R-D clinic by comparing care of patients pre- and post-evaluation in the combined clinic. As proxies of care, rates and comprehensiveness of evaluations (capillaroscopic examination, skin and joint examination) were compared between the combined clinic and standard Rheumatology or Dermatology clinic. METHODS: This was a retrospective chart review of patients at the R-D clinic in Massachusetts General Hospital during the period November 2012 to December 2017. RESULTS: Prior to the patients visiting the R-D only 5% of capillaroscopic examinations were documented, only 5% of rheumatologists specifically described a rash even when present, and pruritus was documented in only 6% of rheumatology notes. By contrast, in the R-D clinic, capillaroscopic, skin and joint examinations were documented in 100% of visits, and 19% of patients were given a different or a refined diagnosis. Although all our patients had cutaneous manifestations of their disease (hair loss, rash, itch, Raynaud phenomenon, ulcerations, calcinosis) only 34% had seen a dermatologist prior to the combined clinic and only 5% of those had had their concerns addressed by the rheumatologist. This suggests that 95% had a more complete evaluation and management of all aspects of their disease by attendance at the R-D clinic. CONCLUSION: Despite this study being limited by its retrospective nature, we found that it is an efficient model to achieve more comprehensive and potentially lower medication costs. Collaboration between dermatologists and rheumatologists in a combined clinic led to more complete skin and joint examinations, consistent tracking of capillaroscopic examination, better description of rash and improved management. Having this clinic helped in reaching a diagnosis and overall better disease control and outcome.

COVID-19: The impacts on foundation training in district general hospitals in the East of England and the East Midlands.

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the training of foundation doctors across the UK. A survey of foundation year 1 doctors across several district general hospitals in the East of England and East Midlands deaneries was carried out to investigate their perceptions of the impact on their training.

What is the impact of restricted access policy on workplace violence in general hospital? A before-after study in a CHINESE tertiary hospital.

BACKGROUND: To evaluate the impact of a restricted access policy on workplace violence in a healthcare setting. METHODS: We surveyed healthcare workers before and after the implementation of a restricted-access policy at a tertiary hospital in north-eastern China. Data were collected in April 2017 and January 2019. Fisher's exact test were used to compare the difference in workplace violence prevalence between responses to two surveys. Survey 1 (S1) collected data from 345 healthcare professionals who had worked in the inpatient ward for at least 12 months. Survey 2 (S2) included 338 healthcare workers from the same ward who had been employed for more than two years. The effective response rates for the two studies was 79.31 and 83.25%, respectively. All 18 female security guards were included in the investigation in S2. RESULTS: The prevalence of psychological violence was 62.03% in S1 and 34.62% in S2, the difference in prevalence showing statistical significance (P = 0.000), while the prevalence of physical violence was 3.77 and 4.73% respectively, showing no statistical significance (P = 0.573). The change in the rate of injury caused by physical violence was also statistically significant at 76.92 and 31.25% (P = 0.025), respectively. Security guards were at high risk of workplace violence under the policy. Most healthcare professionals thought this policy ameliorated treatment order, the sense of security, anxiety about workplace violence, and so forth, but one-third of the respondents thought that it caused patient dissatisfaction. CONCLUSION: While the restricted access policy may be effective for healthcare professionals in avoiding or dealing with violence, such policy could contribute to new problems regarding the safety of security guards and the potential dissatisfaction of patients. The policy should be further developed to alleviate this phenomenon.

Enfermedad por Coronavirus - 2019 (COVID-19) y Traumatología: Revisión de la literatura / Coronavirus Disease - 2019 (COVID-19) and Traumatology: Review of Literature

The Coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) triggered a global health emergency, and as a response, institutions and medical services have implemented different measures regarding the management of these patients in order to maintain medical care, and reduce the spread of the virus in patients and medical staff. The following review aims to present the current recommendations made by international, national and local societies regarding medical action from Traumatology and Orthopaedics. A literature review was done on Medline / Pubmed platforms, The Journal Bone and Joint Surgery (JBJS), Journal of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons (JAAOS), Sociedad Chilena de Ortopedia y Traumatología (SCHOT). The literature was in Spanish and English, comparing it with reality on a local level. The current COVID-19 pandemic led to the complete reform of the trauma care units, starting with the development of subspecialty teams that rotate periodically, which are in charge of the emergency area, treating patients with all personal protection elements (PPE) and categorizing those patients who require emergency trauma surgery, from those that can be managed in a delayed manner. Regarding patients who are hospitalized, a COVID-19 PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) test is taken as screening, except for emergency surgeries where all intraoperative protection measures are taken. In addition, for greater safety, all elective surgery was suspended, which reduces the flow of patients in the ward and in the inpatient unit. Outpatient care was optimized in order to protect patients in their periodic check-ups.

Hospital Variation in Cholecystectomies in The Netherlands: A Nationwide Observational Study.

BACKGROUND: Practice variation generally raises concerns about the quality of care. This study determined the longitudinal degree of hospital variation in proportion of patients with gallstone disease undergoing cholecystectomy, while adjusted for case-mix, and the effect on clinical outcomes. METHODS: A nationwide, longitudinal, database study was performed in all hospitals in the Netherlands in 2013-2015. Patients with gallstone disease were collected from the diagnosis-related group database. Hospital variation in case-mix-adjusted cholecystectomy rates was calculated per year. Clinical outcomes after cholecystectomy were compared between hospitals in the lowest/highest 20th percentile of the distribution of adjusted cholecystectomy rates in all 3 subsequent years. RESULTS: In total, 96,673 patients with gallstones were included. The cholecystectomy rate was 73.6%. In 2013-2015, the case-mix-adjusted performance of cholecystectomies was in hospitals with high rates 1.5-1.6 times higher than in hospitals with low rates. Hospitals with a high adjusted cholecystectomy rate had a higher laparoscopy rate, shorter time to surgery, and less emergency department visits after a cholecystectomy compared to hospitals with a low-adjusted cholecystectomy rate. CONCLUSION: Hospital variation in cholecystectomies in the Netherlands is modest, cholecystectomy rates varies by <2-fold, and variation is stable over time. Cholecystectomies in hospitals with high adjusted cholecystectomy rates are associated with improved outcomes.

Management practices of emergency departments in general hospitals based on blockage of chain of infection during a COVID-19 epidemic.

In a Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) epidemic, management of the emergency department is a difficult task in terms of prevention and control of the disease in general hospitals. On top of meeting urgent needs of patients for medical treatment, the emergency department also has to devote resources into investigation and prevention of COVID-19. At the beginning of the epidemic, with the strategy to intercept the chain of infection, Peking University First Hospital (PKUFH) focused on three important aspects: controlling the source of infection, cutting off the route of transmission, and protecting vulnerable populations, to expeditiously draft scientific and proper management measures for the emergency department, followed by real-time dynamic adjustments based on the development trend of the epidemic. These measures effectively ensured a smooth, orderly and safe operation of the emergency department. As of the writing of this manuscript, there has been no active COVID-19 infection in patients and medical staff in the emergency department, and no infection in patients admitted to PKUFH through the emergency department. This study describes the prevention and control measures in the emergency department of PKUFH during the outbreak of COVID-19, aiming to provide some reference for domestic and international medical institutions.

[Systematic identification of smokers and tobacco smoking management in the general hospital]. / Repérage systématique et prise en charge du tabagisme à l'hôpital général.

INTRODUCTION: The prevalence of daily smoking in France was 24 % in 2019 and tobacco control remains a major public health issue. A hospital stay provides an opportunity for smoking cessation intervention. Identification and management of smokers during a hospital stay may be variously integrated into electronic health records (EHR). STATE OF THE ART: Smoking status identification, which have included pre-filled forms, check-box, reminders, icons, is heterogeneous. Specific modules in EHR have been implemented for smoking cessation management such as counselling sessions, tobacco cessation prescriptions, smoking cessation guidelines and long-term follow-up. EHR-based intervention to identify and manage smokers with a long-term follow-up for at least one month after hospital discharge has shown an increase in smoking abstinence at 6-12 months. OUTLOOK: Due to the lower quality of free data about smoking status, systematic identification with check-box, reminders or icons in EHR may be more appropriate. Integration of functionalities such as help for prescription, reminders and follow-up of patients would make tobacco cessation management easier for health professionals. CONCLUSION: EHR interventions to identify smokers and manage smoking cessation during hospital stays are an opportunity to increase smoking cessation.

Demands and countermeasures for outpatients and emergency patients during the outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 in large general hospital. / 大型综合性医院2019å† çŠ¶ç— æ¯’ç— ç–«æƒ æœŸé—´é—¨æ€¥è¯Šæ‚£è€ å°±è¯Šéœ€æ±‚åŠåº”å¯¹.

OBJECTIVES: To discuss the demands and countermeasures for outpatients and emergency patients during the outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in large general hospital. METHODS: By analyzing patients' demands, outpatient service system and emergency system complemented each other with the help of "internet medical" to provide online medical treatment, self-diagnosed pneumonia program, online pharmacies, outpatient appointment and online pre-examination services, open green channels for special patients, and to provide referral services for critical patients. The COVID-19 suspected patients and other common fever patients were separated from other patients. RESULTS: From January 28 to March 1, we have received 26 000 patients online, 1 856 special patients, 2 929 suspected patients and common fever patients including 31 confirmed patients, 0 case of misdiagnosis and cross-infection. CONCLUSIONS: Targeting patient's demands and taking appropriate measures are effective on meeting the needs of outpatients' and emergency patients' medical services.

Institutional COVID-19 Protocols: Focused on Preparation, Safety, and Care Consolidation.

As the confirmed cases of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) continue to grow with over 1 million documented infections in the United States alone, researchers and health care workers race to find effective treatment options for this potentially fatal disease. Mortality remains high in patients whose disease course requires mechanical ventilation and admission to intensive care units. While focusing on therapies to decrease mortality is essential, we must also consider the logistical hurdles faced with regard to safely and effectively delivering treatment while limiting the risk of harm to hospital staff and other noninfected patients. In this article, we discuss aspects of surge planning, considerations in limiting health care worker exposure, the logistics of medication delivery in a uniform and consolidated manner, protocols for delivering emergent care in a rapidly deteriorating coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) patient, and safe practices for transporting infected patients.

Profile of general hospitals in the Unified Health System.

OBJECTIVE To characterize the organization of Brazilian general hospitals that provide services to the Unified Health System using indicators that describe the main dimensions of hospital care. METHODS A 2015 cross-sectional observational study, comprising the range of general hospitals that serve the Unified Health System. We constructed the hospital indicators from two national administrative databases: the National Registry of Health Facilities and the Hospital Information System of the Unified Health System. The indicators include the main dimensions associated with hospital care: public-private mix, production, production factors, performance, quality, case-mix and geographic coverage. Latent class analysis of indicators with bootstrapping was used to identify hospital profiles. RESULTS We identified three profiles, with hospital size being the variable with the highest degree of belonging. Small hospitals show low occupancy rates (21.36%) and high participation of hospitalizations that could have been solved with outpatient care, besides attending only medium complexity cases. They receive few non-residents, indicating that they are mainly dedicated to the local population. Medium-sized hospitals are more similar to small-sized ones: about 100% of the visits are of medium complexity, low occupancy rate (45.81%), high rate of hospitalizations for primary care sensitive conditions (17.10%) and relative importance in the healthcare provision of non-residents (26%). Large hospitals provide high complexity care, have an average occupancy rate of 64.73% and show greater geographical coverage. CONCLUSIONS The indicators point to three hospital profiles, characterized mainly by the production scale. Small hospitals show low performance, suggesting the need to reorganize hospital care provision, especially at the municipal level. The set of proposed indicators includes the main dimensions of hospital care, providing a tool that can help to plan and continuously monitor the hospital network of the Unified Health System.

Transforming a General Hospital to an Infectious Disease Hospital for COVID-19 Over 2 Weeks.

Pandemics like the coronavirus disease (COVID)-19 can cause a significant strain on the healthcare system. Healthcare organizations must be ready with their contingency plans for managing many patients with contagious infectious disease. Ideally, every large hospital should have a facility that can function as a high-level isolation unit. An isolation unit ensures that the healthcare staff and the hospital are equipped to deal with infectious disease outbreaks. Unfortunately, such facilities do not exist in several hospitals, especially in resource-limited settings. In such a scenario, healthcare setups need to convert their existing general structure into an infectious disease facility. Herein, we describe our experience in transforming a general hospital into a functional infectious disease isolation unit.

Contingency Nursing Management in Designated Hospitals During COVID-19 Outbreak.

Background: In December 2019, early cases of COVID-19 were identified in Wuhan, China. By late January 2020, it was evident that COVID-19 was rapidly spreading and represented a national health emergency. In order to contain the spread of COVID-19, China adopted a centralized treatment plan by appointing designated hospitals in each region. Shantou Central Hospital is a Grade A Class A general hospital in Guangdong Province. It was appointed as a provincial COVID-19 designated treatment hospital on January 21, 2020, to provide all COVID-19-related treatments for the city of Shantou. The nursing department at Shantou Central Hospital is fully responsible for hospital nursing administration, nursing human resource management, nursing quality management, and all nursing tasks related to hospital medical care, nursing, teaching, scientific research, preventive healthcare, and so on. Objective: To summarize the role of nursing management in transforming a general hospital into a designated hospital for treatment of COVID-19 patients. Methods: We undertook a series of nursing management measures in the strategic phase and the implementation phase. Findings: Through a series of nursing management measures, all COVID-19 patients admitted to our hospital were cured and discharged. All non-COVID-19 patients and staff hospitalized during the same period were not infected with the virus. During this period, our hospital completed 7,466 operations. Hence, our nursing management measures were effective. Conclusions: Our efficient nursing management system, first of all, effectively mobilized all available manpower; secondly, up-skilled and trained personnel within a very short period of time; thirdly, provided reliable logistical support for front-line protection equipments; and finally, motivated nurses during this very difficult time to make a significant positive contribution to the fight against COVID-19 pandemic.