Review of recommendations for emergency medical teams during the SARS-CoV-2 epidemic

Abstract

The aim of this work was to present the recommendations for emergency medical teams in Poland during the SARSCoV-2 epidemic. During the epidemic of the new coronavirus, health care system in the world faced the need to deal with the effects of the virus. The medical staff’s behavior has been adapted to the new reality in order to help patient best and prevent the staff from becoming infected. The result of these activities was the creation of new procedures and recommendations. Due to the huge role of pre-hospital care, it has become necessary to create procedures at the national level so that the way of dealing with an infected patient is the same. With the growing knowledge of the virus, the case definition has changed and the Ministry of Health has updated its recommendations. Emergency medical teams and air emergency services have adapted to the changes imposed by the Minister of Health. The global problem of the SARS-CoV-2 is still a challenge for healthcare systems in Poland and worldwide. It will be necessary to update previously developed guidelines and management schemes, with particular emphasis on emergency medical services. The priority is to secure a sufficient amount of personal protective equipment, disinfectants and to create such procedures that will protect the system during the next crisis. It is important that healthcare professionals adopt a universal set of guidelines that they should follow to minimize SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Experience of the Polish Medical Air Rescue Service During the First Year of the COVID-19 Pandemic and Measures Taken to Protect Patients, Medical Staff, and Air Crew from SARS-CoV-2 Infection

“…The pandemic affected all aspects of daily life, causing widespread fear, social isolation, and psychological problems [ 5 ]. Furthermore, it necessitated the introduction of fast-paced and far-reaching changes in the health care sector, which affected the medical services provided, due to the need to protect the infected patients, other patients, and healthcare professionals [ 5 , 6 ].…”

“…On the other hand, the multiple, heterogeneous symptoms lead to uncertainty, prompting patients to adopt a “wait and see” approach, often until they are no longer able to reach the nearest health care facility on their own. In these cases, medical emergency teams play a key role, and should be ready to provide assistance to the infected patients where they are [ 6 , 24 ]. Furthermore, the transport of SARS-CoV-2 patients in a critical condition due to COVID-19 is difficult and demanding, and it also poses a risk to medical professionals who are responsible for the safe transportation of these patients, which has been a subject of several studies [ 26 – 28 ].…”

“…Within the Polish system of medical emergency response, pre-hospital care is provided by ground medical emergency teams and the Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS) [ 6 , 25 ]. HEMS and airplane-based EMS teams form the Polish Medical Air Rescue, an organization acting as the operator and dispatcher of these units.…”