The holiday rush is nothing new for hospital emergency rooms—and as winter quickly approaches, many of these critical medical facilities are proactively planning to sidestep the chaos that an influx in patient volume can bring. But hospital emergency departments don’t just have colds and flu to worry about this season: a looming “tripledemic” of influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and COVID-19 could rattle hospitals to its core, disrupting staff and continuity of patient care even more than usual.
With this potential threat on the horizon, it’s crucial for hospitals to begin preparing now in order to effectively manage the soon-to-be-heightened demand. Let’s take a closer look at what’s behind the tripledemic and discover how hospitals can leverage locum tenens providers to ensure it’s ready to care for all who walk through the doors.
What is a tripledemic?
The term “tripledemic” has been used by some public health professionals to describe a simultaneous increase in cases of three respiratory diseases: influenza, RSV, and COVID-19. And while the upcoming holiday emergency department rush is already predestined to become an active time for respiratory viruses, the combination of all three could make for a complicated and uncomfortable situation that impacts emergency rooms nationwide.
How could the tripledemic impact hospital emergency rooms?
People can contract more than one of these viruses simultaneously, and the health risks rise with each infection. As people become ill, emergency departments could begin to buckle under the weight of more patients with more intense infections. This would place an immense strain on the healthcare providers working at the facility, jeopardizing the care patients have come to expect.
“Throw everything you’ve learned about the flu season out the window—these converging diseases pose a massive public health risk across the country on a level we simply aren’t used to,” said MaryAnn Stolgitis, President of Wellhart. “If hospital emergency departments don’t prepare now, the tripledemic will put more than holiday gatherings at risk; lives will be in danger.”
Think about the tripledemic this way: Hospitalists and emergency medicine providers will be on the front lines as cases start to roll in, making them the most vulnerable. Crowds of coughing patients can overburden the system with sheer numbers, but they can also compound the problem by infecting medical staff and taking them out of circulation. The ones who remain are more vulnerable to burnout as they face an expanded caseload with less support.
How can hospital emergency departments prepare for the tripledemic?
In light of the tripledemic, here are three essential preparations that hospital emergency rooms can make now to ensure continuity of care and efficiency ahead of a potential tripledemic this holiday season:
1. Workforce Planning with Locum Tenens Providers
Hospital administrators should take inventory of current staffing levels and projected demand, paying specific attention to the units that will be most affected by a surge in respiratory illnesses. Emergency rooms and pulmonary units may be flooded with little advance notice, so leaders should build in a plan to quickly increase capacity as needed later.
A surefire way to ensure that a hospital has the staff it needs is to begin looking into bringing on locum tenens providers as a solution for temporary assistance. These medical professionals travel for a living, so they’re often available at the drop of a hat, supplementing existing staff during periods of peak patient volume. Locum tenens providers aren’t just doctors– they can be nurse practitioners, physician assistants, dentists, and CRNAs of all medical specialties, so hospitals have choices when they’re building a workforce plan.
When patients start arriving, healthcare facilities will need to be nimble, speedily directing resources to the areas of greatest need. If a hospital doesn’t have adequate staffing to facilitate that flexibility, locum tenens providers can be quickly deployed, bolstering the ranks and helping hospitals see out the tripledemic.
2. Identify Peak Periods
To confront the coming crisis, hospital emergency rooms should review what they’ve learned over the past year and beyond, especially with regard to respiratory contagion. During what weeks did cases peak? How severe were they? What time of day did they tend to arrive? How did you handle overtime for your staff?
If your facility was overburdened last year, don’t let the problem recur. The confluence of COVID and the flu has already shown what coincidental viruses can do to a health system, and facilities should take what they’ve learned to become more efficient before a third virus complicates the situation further.
3. Create a Rapid Response Plan
Even a well-prepared team can falter in the face of a novel and evolving scenario. Hospitals should plan to deal with the potential tripledemic in-house, but the planning shouldn’t stop there. Leaders should discuss what to do if their contingencies are insufficient, and they should start now while things are relatively calm.
The best decisions are made under a cool and collected mindset; now is the time to decide on what tactics and services will be enlisted in a pinch, who will make decisions, and what trigger points or milestones will alert leaders to pull their emergency levers.
Part of a hospital’s rapid response plan could be workforce planning, and as mentioned earlier, locum tenens providers offer a quick solution for administrators who are in desperate need of staff.
Partner with Wellhart for Locum Tenens Solutions
No matter what happens this winter, medical staff will remain the beating heart of the healthcare system, and therefore the priority of healthcare leaders. Without adequate staff, no amount of planning will make a difference.
Wellhart has a network of experienced emergency medicine locum tenens providers who can help hospital emergency rooms maintain patient flow, continuity of care, and lessen wait times during peak periods – without having to increase payroll year-round.
These experienced professionals are used to adapting quickly to new facilities and working under pressure, making them ideal allies to enlist in the fight against the impending tripledemic. To discuss essential preparations unique to your emergency facility ahead of the tripledemic hospital emergency department rush, call (855) 895-3550.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. What makes an effective hospital emergency room?
A. An effective emergency room is one where patients are assessed quickly upon arrival and tended to in a timely manner with appropriate care. To be at their most efficient, hospital emergency rooms need to have the right emergency medical personnel, the correct number of providers, private treatment spaces, prompt access to advanced diagnostic technology. plentiful seating in waiting areas, and the flexibility to adjust as needed.
Q. What is the most effective way to ensure emergency medical care for high acuity patients in hospital emergency rooms?
A. Since high acuity patients require specialized care from experienced professionals for their long-term medical condition, these patients present a more complex situation in emergency room settings. Emergency rooms must be able to address their needs on a moment’s notice, as for these patients, speed is key. To do this hospital emergency rooms need to make sure there are enough emergency medical doctors on staff to address conditions swiftly and reduce transition delays and have a well-thought-out plan in place to rapidly scale its staff with qualified medical providers as needed.
Q. Is there always a holiday emergency department rush?
A. It has become increasingly common for hospital emergency departments to see an influx in patients during the holidays, and in winter. Seasonal illnesses like the flu, increased stress, and holiday-related injuries can lead to a surge in emergency room visits. While the extent of the holiday emergency department rush can vary by location and external factors, most hospital emergency rooms will need to staff more emergency room medical providers to ensure continuity in care.