Disaster Preparedness

Functionality of Scarce Healthcare Resource Triage Teams During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Multi-Institutional Simulation Study

From Critical Care Explorations The authors conducted eleven team triage simulations from December 2020 through February 2021. 

Media Training in the Era of COVID-19

During the COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare providers receive many requests for media appearances and interviews to help inform the public. This training will provide strategies and techniques to increase confidence of providers participating in media communications.

What do you recommend for clinicians who manage patients in the emergency department in need of a critical care bed? How do you suggest a clinician proceed beyond calling the ICU or step-down unit?

Questions from social media, blogs and the various discussion forums, including the new SCCM COVID-19 Discussion Group, were answered. This microlearning content was taken from the COVID-19 Critical Care for Non-ICU Clinicians: Expert Panel Series held on September 8, 2021

What are the first steps when a patient is admitted to the emergency department?

Questions from social media, blogs and the various discussion forums, including the new SCCM COVID-19 Discussion Group, were answered. This microlearning content was taken from the COVID-19 Critical Care for Non-ICU Clinicians: Expert Panel Series held on June 9th, 2021

Editorial: Capacity Strain and Response During Coronavirus Disease 2019: One Size Does Not Fit All, and One Size Does Not Fit One

From Critical Care Medicine. In this editorials, the authors discuss hospital preparedness in the article "Variation in Initial U.S. Hospital Responses to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic."

Variation in Initial U.S. Hospital Responses to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic

From Critical Care Medicine. The authors characterize emergency responses across hospitals in the United States over time and in the context of local case rates early in the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic.

SCCM’s 50th Critical Care Congress: Frontline Nursing: Leadership Lessons From the Battlefield to the COVID-19 Crisis

From SCCM's 50th Critical Care Congress. Elizabeth J. Bridges, CCNS, MSN, PhD, RN, highlights lessons learned in frontline nursing during the COVID-19 pandemic and what they mean for the future of leadership.

SCCM’s 50th Critical Care Congress: Public Health Crises: From Measles to COVID-19

From SCCM's 50th Critical Care Congress. New York State Health Commissioner Howard A. Zucker, MD, JD, FCCM, discuss public health directives and policies that have proven effective at managing dangerous spikes in hospitalizations during New York State’s response to recent measles and COVID-19 outbreaks.

SCCM’s 50th Critical Care Congress: Surviving Sepsis Campaign COVID-19 Guidelines Therapeutics Update

From SCCM's 50th Critical Care Congress. Learn more about the guidelines therapeutics update and the methodology and its application to public health emergencies.

Readiness for and Response to Coronavirus Disease 2019 Among Pediatric Healthcare Providers: The Role of Simulation for Pandemics and Other Disasters

From Pediatric Critical Care Medicine

Early preparation for the training and education of healthcare providers, as well as the continuation or modification of routine medical education programs, is of great importance in times of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic or other public health emergencies; this study aimed to characterize these self-reported efforts by the pediatric simulation community.

High-Flow Nasal Cannula (HFNC) Use in COVID-19 Respiratory Failure

This presentation is an overview of HFNC use for COVID-19 patients. This is SCCM curated COVID-19 microlearning content.

How does an emergency department nurse apply her skills to the ICU when asked to work as an ICU nurse? Does your hospital use any type of tiered staffing? Do you incorporate non-ICU nurses or non-ICU physicians into your ICU staffing?

Questions from social media, blogs and the various discussion forums, including the new SCCM COVID-19 Discussion Group, were answered. This microlearning content was taken from the COVID-19 Critical Care for Non-ICU Clinicians: Expert Panel Series held on November 4, 2020.

How was nurse staffing handled at your institution? Did you design a tiered staffing system for ICU nurses or did you use nurses from other departments? What was your experience with the nursing staff?

Questions from social media, blogs and the various discussion forums, including the new SCCM COVID-19 Discussion Group, were answered. This microlearning content was taken from the COVID-19 Critical Care for Non-ICU Clinicians: Expert Panel Series held on August 12, 2020.

How did your institution handle incorporating fellows, residents, and other non-ICU clinicians into a tiered staffing system? Did they care for patients? What do you recommend?

Questions from social media, blogs and the various discussion forums, including the new SCCM COVID-19 Discussion Group, were answered. This microlearning content was taken from the COVID-19 Critical Care for Non-ICU Clinicians: Expert Panel Series held on August 12, 2020.

SCCM Pod-427 Severe COVID-19 and Sepsis

Severe COVID-19 infection can be a form of viral sepsis with occasionally concomitant bacterial infection.

SCCM Pod-423 Coagulopathy in COVID-19 Patients

COVID-19 is associated with a high prevalence of coagulopathy and venous thromboembolism. Host B. Kyle Enfield, MD, FCCM, talks with Jerrold H. Levy, MD, FAHA, FCCM, about what clinicians need to know about this serious problem and how it impacts care delivery (Iba et al. Crit Care Med. 2020;48:1358-1364).

SCCM Pod-422 Procalcitonin in COVID-19 and Influenza-Related Secondary Bacterial Infections

Procalcitonin testing on admission seems to be a valuable piece of information for early risk assessment and ruling out bacterial co-infection in COVID-19 patients.

SCCM Pod-421 COVID-19 and Renal Replacement Therapy

The increase in acute kidney injury in COVID-19 patients is resulting in more utilization of renal replacement therapy (RRT) and continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT).

Letter to the Editor: Transforming a PICU Into an Adult ICU During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic: Meeting Multiple Needs

From Critical Care Explorations. In this Letter to the Editor, the authors describe the process converting half of their 40-bed PICU into a negative-pressure biocontainment ICU dedicated to adult coronavirus disease 2019 patients within a 1,003-bed academic quaternary hospital.

Procedures for COVID-19 Cohort Units: Building an Operating Room in a COVID-19 Cohort ICU

This presentation provides procedures for building COVID-19 cohort units. This is SCCM curated COVID-19 microlearning content.

Preparedness and Reorganization of Care for Coronavirus Disease 2019 Patients in a Swiss ICU: Characteristics and Outcomes of 129 Patients

From Critical Care Explorations. The authors report their experience in Switzerland with regard to ICU organization and anticipation, as well as patient characteristics, treatment, and outcomes.

SCCM Pod-418 COVID-19 Learning: Conversion of a Children's Hospital to an Adult Hospital

Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx, New York, USA, quickly converted a children's hospital to an adult COVID-19 hospital. Hear Margaret M. Parker, MD, MCCM, talk with H. Michael Ushay, MD, PhD, FAAP, FCCM, about the process, challenges with staffing and personal protective equipment, and more.

SCCM Pod-417 COVID-19-Associated Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome

Clinicians are working to understand and formulate an effective treatment for COVID-19-associated acute respiratory distress syndrome (Marini J. Crit Care Med. 2020 May 13; Epub ahead of print).

Configuring ICUs in the COVID-19 Era

This report provides guidance on how to innovate your existing intensive care unit (ICU) or convert other spaces into an ICU to improve workflow, manage capacity, and minimize healthcare professionals’ exposure to COVID-19 based on the evolving experiences from more than a dozen hospitals and their healthcare professionals on the front lines.

Pandemic-Related Submissions: The Challenge of Discerning Signal Amidst Noise

From Critical Care Medicine. The editors of Critical Care Medicine discuss the challenge during current pandemic of discerning data from anecdote, information from observation, and ultimately signal amidst noise.

Simulation: Keeping Pace With Pandemics

From Pediatric Critical Care Medicine. The authors discuss the immediate need to become quickly prepared for overwhelming patient care and health system needs, and the usefulness of simulation.

Establishing Pharmacy Services in an Alternate Care Site

This presentation discusses how to best organize a pharmacy at an alternate care site. This is SCCM curated COVID-19 microlearning content.

Managing Shortages: Principles of Allocation in Crisis Situations

This presentation covers how to ethically manage shortages and resource allocations. This is SCCM curated COVID-19 microlearning content.

Death, Grief, and Funerals in the COVID Age

This resource details how compassion in healthcare has changed with COVID-19. This is a community developed COVID-19 microlearning resource.

What are some strategies for providing care with limited resources?

Questions from social media, blogs and the various discussion forums, including the new SCCM COVID-19 Discussion Group, were answered. This microlearning content was taken from the COVID-19 Critical Care for Non-ICU Clinicians: Expert Panel Series held on May 13th, 2020.

SCCM Pod-416 COVID-19 Learning: Multiple Patients on a Single Ventilator

In a situation where ventilators are in short supply, multiple patients on a single ventilator could be a strategy of last resort.

SCCM Pod-415 NIH COVID-19 Treatment Guidelines

The National Institutes of Health has released Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Treatment Guidelines.

SCCM Pod-414 COVID-19 VIRUS Registry Aims to Identify Effective Treatment Strategies

Discovery, the Critical Care Research Network's Viral Infection and Respiratory Illness Universal Study creates a real-time COVID-19 registry of current ICU and hospital care patterns.

SCCM/ACEP Presidents' Expert Panel: Unanticipated Consequences of Pandemic Care

This joint webinar was moderated by the Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM) and the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) Presidents, along with invited experts from both societies, to address difficult questions regarding managing COVID-19 patients.

Adult ICU Triage During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic: Who Will Live and Who Will Die? Recommendations to Improve Survival

From Critical Care Medicine. The authors discuss the major issues related to ICU triage and try to give recommendations where appropriate but also give different choices for certain issues for countries based on what is best for them.

Caring for Critically Ill Adults in PICUs Is Not "Child's Play"

From Pediatric Critical Care Medicine. Editorial by authors that led the Pediatric Emergency Mass Critical Care Task Force and 2014 Task Force for Mass Critical Care.

Caring for Critically Ill Adults With Coronavirus Disease 2019 in a PICU: Recommendations by Dual Trained Intensivists

From Pediatric Critical Care Medicine. Although pediatric intensivists are well versed in the care of ARDS from viral pneumonia, the care of an differing aged adult populations presents some unique challenges.

Provider Labor Pool Deployment Workflow and Inpatient Competency and Training Guide

This resource is a quick training guide on labor pool deployment workflow and inpatient competency. This is a community developed COVID-19 microlearning resource.

GROOM-Q4: An Innovative, Consolidated Workflow to Improve ICU Efficiency and Reduce Viral Exposure

This resource covers strategies to consolidate workflow to improve ICU efficiency and reduce COVID-19 infection risks. This is a community developed COVID-19 microlearning resource.

SCCM Pod-413 COVID-19 Fact Versus Science Fiction

Explore the need for randomized COVID-19 clinical trials and the difficulties and potential consequences of misinformation (Ingraham N, et al. Crit Care Explor. 2020;2:e0108) with host Ashish K. Khanna, MD, FCCP, FCCM, and Nicholas E. Ingraham, MD.

SCCM Pod-412 COVID-19 in Critically Ill Children

Gain valuable insight on the clinical management of COVID-19 and its relevance to the pediatric critical care provider (Ong J, et al. Pediatr Crit Care Med. 2020 Apr 7; Epub ahead of print) with host Elizabeth H. Mack, MD, MS, FCCM, and Jacqueline Ong, MB BChir, MMed (Paeds), MRCPCH.

A Conceptual and Adaptable Approach to Hospital Preparedness for Acute Surge Events Due to Emerging Infectious Diseases

From Critical Care Explorations. This article addresses health care capacity strains and provides a framework for considering key resources during an acute surge event and an adaptable approach to the most common domains that should be addressed during the preparation for and response to acute surge events.

Managing Staff Burnout During a Pandemic

This presentation is an overview of proper staff preparation during a pandemic to help avoid burnout. This is SCCM curated COVID-19 microlearning content.

What are your thoughts on recycling PPE?

Questions from social media, blogs and the various discussion forums, including the new SCCM COVID-19 Discussion Group, were answered. This microlearning content was taken from the COVID-19 Question and Answer Webcast Series - Webcast 2 held on April 10, 2020.

Surviving Sepsis Campaign COVID-19 Guidelines (Chinese Translation)

COVID-19 Guideline Resource. SCCM has released its Surviving Sepsis Campaign COVID-19 guidelines to manage critically ill adults with COVID-19 in the intensive care unit (ICU).

Non-FDA Approved Respirators

This presentation is an overview of the use of non-FDA approved respirators when treating COVID-19 patients. This is SCCM curated COVID-19 microlearning content.

ICU Readiness Assessment: We Are Not Prepared for COVID-19

SCCM COVID-19 Report. Nearly 5,000 U.S. intensive care unit (ICU) clinicians say that their ICUs are not prepared for the potential onslaught of COVID-19 patients. According to the Society of Critical Care Medicine's (SCCM) ICU Readiness Assessment Report, their specific concerns range from shortages of supplies and staff, patient surge and overcrowding, and personal protective equipment.

Initial Management of Hypoxic COVID-19 Patients

COVID-19 SSC Guidelines Infographic. This rapid resource is aligned with the SSC COVID-19 Guidelines.

Lista de Verificacion de Preparacion de la UCI

COVID-19 Checklist (Spanish Version). This checklist can be used to help prepare your institution during the COVID-19 surge.

SCCM-ASA Joint Statement to Address the COVID-19 Pandemic

COVID-19 - SCCM Joint Statement. The Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM) and the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) announce their plans to collaborate to address the COVID-19 crisis.

Joint Statement of the Critical Care Society Collaborative to the US Congress and the Trump Administration

COVID-19 - SCCM Joint Statement. Production and distribution of personal protective equipment (PPE) and life-saving equipment.

Scaled Pandemic Preparedness: From Large Medical Center to Community Hospital - What Do You Need To Do?

The webcast covered how to prepare for the COVID-19 pandemic, with lessons learned from hospitals in the Houston area that already established special isolation units.

What are your experiences with triaging patients in the ICU at your institution?

Questions from social media, blogs and the various discussion forums, including the new SCCM COVID-19 Discussion Group, were answered.

Surviving Sepsis Campaign COVID-19 Guidelines - Updated 1/29/2021

COVID-19 Guideline Resource.

Surviving Sepsis Campaign: Guidelines on the Management of Critically Ill Adults with Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)

Webcast participants were able to learn more about the recommendations included in the guidelines regarding infection control, laboratory diagnosis and specimens, hemodynamic support, ventilatory support