Electronic personal protective equipment: A strategy to protect emergency department providers in the age of COVID-19

• Published in: Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association Vol. 27; no. 6; pp. 967 - 971
• Main Authors: Turer, Robert W, Jones, Ian, Rosenbloom, S Trent, Slovis, Corey, Ward, Michael J
• Format: Journal Article Web Resource
• Language: English
• Published: England Oxford University Press 01.06.2020
• Subjects: Betacoronavirus; Coronavirus Infections - diagnosis; Coronavirus Infections - epidemiology; COVID-19; Emergency Medical Services - legislation & jurisprudence; Emergency Medical Services - methods; Emergency Service, Hospital; Government Regulation; Humans; Mass Screening - instrumentation; Mass Screening - legislation & jurisprudence; Mass Screening - methods; Pandemics; Personal Protective Equipment; Pneumonia, Viral - diagnosis; Pneumonia, Viral - epidemiology; SARS-CoV-2; Telemedicine; Telemedicine - legislation & jurisprudence; United States; United States; EMTALA; telemedicine; personal protective equipment; medical screening exam; emergency medicine; telehealth
• ISSN: 1527-974X; 1067-5027; 1527-974X
• DOI: 10.1093/jamia/ocaa048

Abstract Emergent policy changes related to telemedicine and the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act during the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic have created opportunities for technology-based clinical evaluation, which serves to conserve personal protective equipment (PPE) and protect emergency providers. We define electronic PPE as an approach using telemedicine tools to perform electronic medical screening exams while satisfying the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act. We discuss the safety, legal, and technical factors necessary for implementing such a pathway. This approach has the potential to conserve PPE and protect providers while maintaining safe standards for medical screening exams in the emergency department for low-risk patients in whom COVID-19 is suspected.