Five Questions With: Dr. Joseph Diaz

Dr. Joseph Diaz is physician in chief of medicine at Memorial Hospital of Rhode Island and co-chair of the hospital’s Ebola Readiness Committee. He is also an associate professor of medicine at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University.

PBN: How many Ebola patients could Memorial treat at one time, and how many staff members would be required to treat those patients?
DIAZ:
Memorial Hospital could take one Ebola patient at a time based on the appropriate containment requirements for each patient. The core care team would be a minimum of two doctors and six to eight registered nurses. Additional people would be involved as needed.

PBN: Does Memorial have Brincidofovir, or another Ebola drug, on hand? If not, are plans in place for obtaining such drugs?
DIAZ:
No one has these experimental drugs on hand. They can only be obtained through the Centers for Disease Control, which will be notified if we receive an Ebola patient.

PBN: Is staff training to contend with Ebola complete at Memorial? What did the training entail?
DIAZ:
Our staff has been trained but training is really never complete. Even at Emory, staff is constantly being trained. Training at Memorial has entailed practicing the donning and doffing of personal protective equipment and ongoing drills with simulated patients.

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PBN: What is the protocol there for bringing in a person suspected to be suffering from Ebola – will the emergency room be bypassed and, if so, how will the person be processed administratively? Do computers used during admitting need to be put in protective sleeves or some such?
DIAZ:
A person under investigation for Ebola will come to our Emergency Department (ED) and be isolated in a decontamination room which is right outside the ED main entrance. Our plan includes having all paperwork processed by paper and pen at the point of care to minimize exposure. The information will then be input into the electronic systems outside the room.

PBN: Does Ebola-tainted medical waste need to be treated differently than other medical waste and, if so, what are those differences?
DIAZ:
Yes it does. Under the direction of our infectious diseases specialists, we will follow CDC guidelines on the appropriate disposal of waste. We have an ample supply of neutralizing agents on hand.

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