Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-dlnhk Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-24T05:22:29.541Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Assessment of New York City Urgent Care Centers’ Emergency Preparedness and Infection Prevention and Control Practices, 2016–2017

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 May 2021

Jasmine Jacobs-Wingo ,
Norman L Beatty ,
Kristine Jang  and
Mary MK Foote Open the ORCID record for Mary MK Foote [Opens in a new window]
Jasmine Jacobs-Wingo
Affiliation:
Temporary Epidemiology Field Assignee Program, Division of State and Local Readiness, Office of Public Health Preparedness and Response, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA Office of Emergency Preparedness and Response, New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Long Island City, NY, USA
Norman L Beatty
Affiliation:
University of Arizona College of Medicine Tucson, Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, Tucson, AZ, USA
Kristine Jang
Affiliation:
State University of New York, Stony Brook, NY, USA
Mary MK Foote*
Affiliation:
Office of Emergency Preparedness and Response, New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Long Island City, NY, USA
*
Corresponding author: Mary M.K. Foote, Email: [email protected].
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Background:

Urgent care centers (UCCs) have become frontline healthcare facilities for individuals with acute infectious diseases. Additionally, UCCs could potentially support the healthcare system response during a public health emergency. Investigators sought to assess NYC UCCs’ implementation of nationally-recommended IPC and EP practices.

Methods:

Investigators identified 199 eligible UCCs based on criteria defined by the Urgent Care Association of America. Multiple facilities under the same ownership were considered a network. As part of a cross-sectional analysis, an electronic survey was sent to UCC representatives assessing their respective facilities’ IPC and EP practices. Representatives of urgent care networks responded on behalf of all UCCs within the network if all sites within the network used the same policies and procedures.

Results:

Of the respondents, 18 representing 144 UCCs completed the survey. Of these, 8 of them (44.4% of the respondents) represented more than 1 facility that utilized standardized practices (range = 2-60 facilities). Overall, 81.3% have written IPC policies, 75.0% have EP policies, 80.6% require staff to train on IPC, and 75.7% train staff on EP.

Conclusion:

Most UCCs reported implementation of IPC and EP practices; however, the comprehensiveness of these activities varied across UCCs. Public health can better prepare the healthcare system by engaging UCCs in planning and executing of IPC and EP-related initiatives.

Keywords

urgent careemergency preparednessinfection prevention and controlambulatory carenon-acute care
Type
Original Research
Information
Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness , Volume 16 , Issue 3 , June 2022 , pp. 1059 - 1063
Copyright
© Society for Disaster Medicine and Public Health, Inc. 2021

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Poon, SJ, Schuur, JD, Mehrotra, A. Trends in visits to acute care venues for treatment of low-acuity conditions in the United States From 2008 to 2015. JAMA Intern Med. 2018;178(10):1342–1349.Google ScholarPubMed
Ho, V, Metcalfe, L, Dark, C, et al. Comparing utilization and costs of care in freestanding emergency departments, hospital emergency departments, and urgent care centers. Ann Emerg Med. 2017;70(6):846–857.e3.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Weinick, RM, Burns, RM, Mehrotra, A. Many emergency department visits could be managed at urgent care centers and retail clinics. Health Aff (Millwood). 2010;29(9):1630–1636.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Urgent Care Association of America. 2017 Benchmarking report summary: Headlines on growth. https://www.ucaoa.org/Portals/80/pdfs/benchmarking/2017BMSurvey.pdf. Accessed July 25, 2019.Google Scholar
Redlener, I, Reilly, MJ. Lessons from Sandy--preparing health systems for future disasters. N Engl J Med. 2012;367(24):2269–2271.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Smith, SW, Braun, J, Portelli, I, et al. Prehospital indicators for disaster preparedness and response: New York City Emergency Medical Services in Hurricane Sandy. Disaster Med Public Health Prep. 2016;10(3):333–343.Google ScholarPubMed
ASPR TRACIE. Medical Surge and the Role of urgent care centers. 2018. https://asprtracie.s3.amazonaws.com/documents/aspr-tracie-medical-surge-and-the-role-of-urgent-care-centers.pdf. Accessed January 2019.Google Scholar
Caspers, C, Smith, SW, Seth, R, Femia, R, Goldfrank, LR. Observation services linked with an urgent care center in the absence of an emergency department: An innovative mechanism to initiate efficient health care delivery in the aftermath of a natural disaster. Disaster Med Public Health Prep. 2016;10(3):405–410.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine. Exploring the Translation of the Results of Hurricane Sandy Research Grants into Policy and Operations: Proceedings of a Workshop—in Brief. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press; 2017.Google Scholar
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), HHS. Medicare and Medicaid Programs; Emergency Preparedness Requirements for Medicare and Medicaid Participating Providers and Suppliers. Final rule. Fed Regist. 2016;81(180):63859–64044.Google Scholar
Health Care Delivery Models in New York State: A Study of Retail Clinics, Urgent Care Providers and Major Physician Practices. New York State Department of Health. 2017. https://www.health.ny.gov/press/reports/docs/health_care_delivery_studies.pdf. Accessed January 2019.Google Scholar
Chang, JE, Brundage, SC, Burke, GC, DA C. Convenient Care: Retail clinics and urgent care centers in New York State. United Hospital Fund. 2015. https://uhfnyc.org/publications/881033. Accessed January 2019.Google Scholar
Williams, MD, Jean, MC, Chen, B, Molinari, NM, LeBlanc, TT. Primary Care Emergency Preparedness Network, New York City, 2015: Comparison of member and nonmember sites. Am J Public Health. 2017;107(S2):S193–S198.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Infection Prevention and Control Assessment Tool for Outpatient Settings. 2016. https://www.cdc.gov/infectioncontrol/pdf/icar/outpatient.pdf. Accessed January 2019.Google Scholar
Dunnick, J, Olympia, RP, Wilkinson, R, Brady, J. Low compliance of urgent care centers in the United States with recommendations for office-based disaster preparedness. Pediatr Emerg Care. 2016;32(5):298–302.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Guide to infection prevention for outpatient settings: Minimum expectations for safe care. 2015. https://www.cdc.gov/hai/settings/outpatient/outpatient-care-guidelines.html. Accessed July 25, 2019.Google Scholar
Goodman, RA, Solomon, SL. Transmission of infectious diseases in outpatient health care settings. JAMA. 1991;265(18):2377–2381.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Beatty, NL, Hager, KM, McKeown, KR, et al. Influenza vaccine availability at urgent care centers in the state of Arizona. Am J Infect Control. 2018;46(8):946–948.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
ASPR TRACIE. Topic collection: Ambulatory care and Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHC). https://asprtracie.hhs.gov/technical-resources/49/ambulatory-care-and-federally-qualified-health-centers-fqhc/47#plans-tools-and-templates-other-facilities. Accessed July 25, 2019.Google Scholar
Steinkuller, F, Harris, K, Vigil, KJ, Ostrosky-Zeichner, L. Outpatient infection prevention: A practical primer. Open Forum Infect Dis. 2018;5(5):ofy053. Published May 2, 2018.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Rathore, MH, Jackson, MA; Committee on Infectious diseases. Infection prevention and control in pediatric ambulatory settings. Pediatrics. 2017;140(5):e20172857.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ali, M, Williams, MD. No-notice mystery patient drills to assess emergency preparedness for infectious diseases at community health centers in New York City, 2015-2016. J Community Health. 2019;44(2):387–394.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Foote, M, Daver, R, Quinn, C. Using “mystery patient” drills to assess hospital Ebola preparedness in New York City, 2014-2015. Health Secur. 2017;15(5):500–508.Google Scholar
Foote, MMK, Styles, TS, Quinn, CL. Assessment of hospital emergency department response to potentially infectious diseases using unannounced mystery patient drills - New York City, 2016. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2017;66(36):945–949.Google ScholarPubMed