Improving Crisis Preparedness: Lessons from Acute Care Settings During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract: The panel will present findings and recommendations from a project animated by the adage “never let a good crisis go to waste”. The project aimed to: (1) solicit input from health care stakeholders who worked in acute care settings throughout the authors’ state during the COVID-19 pandemic, including health system/facility leadership, critical care providers, and emergency department (ED) providers; and (2) identify themes present in this input and use those themes to develop recommendations for improvements in the state’s emergency preparedness and response frameworks.
It is critical that the strengths and shortcomings of the COVID-19 response be assessed, to improve readiness for future emergencies. This project spotlights the experiences, contributions, and insights of healthcare professionals who worked in acute care settings, as a first step in stakeholder engagement. Core findings and recommendations of the report address a broad range of issues including: implementation of crisis standards of care, mitigation of disparities in access and outcomes, capacity building, supports for the healthcare workforce including protection from threats from patients and community members, harms of visitor restrictions, and strategies to build trust and combat misinformation or disinformation.

This panel discussion will also engage audience members in a guided discussion to compare experiences with pandemic response across states/regions, reflect on proposed recommendations, and brainstorm together about how to better prepare for the next emergency. This sort of cross-pollination is critical to supporting the work of public health and clinical care during disasters.

Keywords: Crisis preparedness and response, Crisis standards of care, Stakeholder engagement