Theme | Topic | Considerations |
---|---|---|
Selection of patients for transport | Regional risk assessment | Vehicle availability. Availability of alternative platforms. |
Risk of occupational infection on different platforms. | ||
HEMS continuity and the impact of suspending HEMS/aeromedical services and redeploying staff. | ||
Planned management of patients without COVID-19 symptoms | ||
Infection control strategies | PPE | PPE supplies |
PPE training (including aircrew) | ||
PPE compatibility with aviation safety and communications equipment | ||
PPE compatibility with working environment (eg heat stress, visibility) | ||
Minimise exposure: people | Protecting the flight crew from patient contact (screens, no patient handling) | |
Reducing flight crew numbers | ||
Aligning medical/aviation shift patterns to avoid exposure of multiple crews | ||
Minimise exposure: equipment | Removal of extra medical/rescue equipment | |
Removal of some aviation safety gear | ||
Packaging equipment in wipe-down packaging | ||
Choosing a route through the hospital to minimise cross-contamination | ||
At the hospital | Accessing the patient | Time and place for handover and donning PPE |
Need for extra staff on ground (e.g. a runner in clean PPE to open doors/operate lifts) | ||
Intubation | Logistics of performing intubation in PPE | |
Policy for use of PPE during the intubation of non-COVID-19 patients during pandemic COVID-19 | ||
Packaging | How to package the patient to reduce their infectivity | |
At mission completion | Waste disposal | Management of increased clinical waste |
Sorting of waste to minimise clinical waste | ||
Decontamination | Suitable aircraft cleaning products, and their availability | |
Where and by whom the aircraft will be cleaned | ||
Follow-up | Management of PPE breaches | |
Management of exposed or symptomatic staff | ||
In the community | Base living | Modifications to cleaning schedule |
Minimising staff on base | ||
Maintaining morale | ||
Social distancing off-duty |