Tracking Healthcare Worker Competencies and Automated Active Symptom Surveillance for Ebola Virus Disease

Abstract

Background. During the West African Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) outbreak of 2014-2016, health care facilities developing preparedness plans to care for patients with EVD required mechanisms to monitor competencies of healthcare workers (HCWs) and perform monitoring of HCWs for 21 days after last contact in the Biothreats Care Unit (BCU). To address these requirements, a multidisciplinary team at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), the Region 1 Ebola and Special Pathogens Treatment Center (RESPTC), developed the Biothreats Tracker Application (BTA). Methods. The MGH team assessed the requirements of the RESPTC, Occupational Health Services (OHS), and local public health authorities to create an application to monitor competencies of a large team and a mechanism to evaluate HCWs caring for EVD patients (Figure 1). Outcomes assessed included competencies tracked (fit-testing, personal protective equipment training, and participation in team meetings, drills, and exercises), BCU entry restrictions based on documented competencies, and deployment of electronic surveys. Results. BTA tracked the competencies of 166 team members accounting for 314 competency metrics and1,589 training hours in 2016. BTA ensured only trained team members with documented competencies within the prior 90 days were permitted to enter the BCU upon employee badge scan (Figure 2). During 2016, BTA generated 161 surveys; surveys collected feedback from exercises and tested adherence to twice-daily monitoring for clinicians participating in clinical care during exercises. Conclusion. BTA allowed the RESPTC to successfully track team members, used this information to determine BCU-entry, and surveyed team members electronically. At the time of a BCU activation, BTA allows for real-time competency determination. Electronically delivered twice daily surveys may increase HCW compliance and efficiency of OHS monitoring. This approach can be applied to other highly hazardous communicable diseases for which HCW competencies and active monitoring are required. (Figure Presented).