Protecting Medical Professionals from Infection During the Coronavirus Pandemic: Overnight Implementation of Virtual Medical Boards

• Published in: Gesundheitswesen (Bundesverband der Ärzte des Öffentlichen Gesundheitsdienstes (Germany)) Vol. 82; no. 6; p. 497
• Main Authors: König, Tatjana Tamara, Lenz, Anna-Franziska, Goedeke, Jan, Muensterer, Oliver J
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: German
• Published: Germany 01.06.2020
• Subjects: Coronavirus; Coronavirus Infections; COVID-19; Germany; Health Personnel; Humans; Infection Control; Pandemics; Pneumonia, Viral; Germany
• ISSN: 1439-4421
• DOI: 10.1055/a-1165-1878

For medical professionals in hospitals, it is nearly impossible to abide by the rules of social distancing to prevent coronavirus transmission. In order to avoid unnecessary contact between medical staff, virtual medical boards were implemented.  Technical requirements for virtual boards were established overnight. Standard web cams and one license for a licensed provider of virtual boards were acquired. Most of the other technical gear required was readily available. Frequent and typical errors during the virtual boards were recorded and analyzed.  Virtual boards provided the means for adequate patient care in spite of social distancing among the medical staff. Over a period of 4 weeks, 956 face-to-face contacts were avoided. Most errors occurred during first-time participation and concerned audio transmission. By muting the microphone of inactive participants, most of these errors could be avoided. Virtual boards for medical staff can be implemented with minimal effort und standard technical gear to slow down the transmission of coronavirus among medical professionals in the hospital setting.