Two students from Ohio University’s Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine traded their scrubs for normal clothes while portraying patients with the Ebola virus in a practice simulation.
Two students from Ohio University’s Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine traded their scrubs for normal clothes while portraying patients with the Ebola virus in a practice simulation.
The goal of the preparedness drill — located at Grandview Medical Center in Dayton, Ohio — was to show doctors how to react if a patient with Ebola were to come to the hospital.
“It was a good thing for the hospital, and for me, it was worthwhile to get to see it from a patient’s point of view, so I could give them my input on the situation,” said Randy Smith, a third-year medical student. “For example, they realized they needed better communication with the patient. If you’re scared and don’t know what’s going on for half an hour to 40 minutes, that’s not good.”
Using this information to help improve future care, some medical professionals at the hospital said the simulation was a good learning experience.
“We learned that it takes about 25 to 30 minutes to put the (Hazmat) suits on properly and that taking them off is even more of a chore because there are specific steps you have to go through to not contaminate yourself,” said Dixie Kirkland, the hospital’s EMS and trauma coordinator. “It was really eye-opening, and it’s not just a simple (process).”
According to the World Health Organization, the fatality rate for Ebola is about 50 percent.
That means doctors must take precautions when a patient comes to a hospital to avoid the virus spreading, especially if the patient has some kind of fluid loss such as vomiting or diarrhea, Kirkland said.
When a patient first comes into a hospital, to the emergency department or with one of the emergency squads, staff ask the person questions to find out if they have travelled outside of the United States or to Dallas in the past 21 days, Kirkland said.
They also ask if the patient is experiencing possible Ebola symptoms, including fever, severe headache, weakness, diarrhea and vomiting, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In the simulation, each of the students came in to the hospital complaining of stomach aches and other potential symptoms of Ebola, Kirkland said.
“They gave me a scenario and told me to fill in the blanks,” said Chelsey Kimble, a third-year medical student. “I had supposedly been in contact with a friend who had been to West Africa, and I had a low grade fever, as a part of my contraction of Ebola.”
Smith said that the experience gave him a different view of what it is like to be a patient.
“When you’re not an actual patient, you’re paying more attention to what the doctor is doing to help you instead of what they’re doing to help the procedure,” Smith said. “It was also different experience as opposed to being in the ER learning how to treat patients.”
Kirkland said that this simulation was only the first of many drills to completed and that any potential patient may be transferred to Greene Memorial Hospital in Xenia, Ohio, where they have isolated rooms.
“The more practice we do, the better off we are,” she said. “We’re working diligently to get everyone who could be involved with these patients trained.”
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