New Guide for Infectious EMS Patient Handling

The National Emerging Special Pathogens Training and Education Center (NETEC) developed a new set of model procedural guidelines that can assist EMS agencies in the development of SOPs for transporting and managing patients suspected or confirmed to have a high-consequence infectious disease (HCID).

By providing a structured framework for response, these guidelines will enhance your agency’s preparedness to manage HCID patient encounters, improving personnel safety and safeguarding public health.

Written as a complement to the ASPR TRACIE EMS Infectious Disease Playbook, these model procedural guidelines provide step-by-step instructions that can be adapted by any EMS agency for incorporation into their policies and procedures for managing HCID patients.

EMS Model Guide Series

Model PPE Donning and Doffing Procedure for Suspected VHF Case without Active Bleeding, Vomiting, or Diarrhea: Proper donning and doffing of a personal protective equipment ensemble for prehospital personnel managing a patient without active bleeding, vomiting, or diarrhea who is suspected to have a Viral Hemorrhagic Fever (VHF).
Model PPE Donning and Doffing Procedure for Confirmed or Suspected VHF Case with Active Bleeding, Vomiting, or Diarrhea: Proper donning and doffing of a PPE ensemble for prehospital personnel managing a patient confirmed to have a VHF, or a patient suspected to be infected who has active bleeding, vomiting or diarrhea.
EMS Provider Down Procedure: Assessment and management of an EMS clinician who has become incapacitated while wearing a PPE ensemble.
EMS PPE Breach: High-Consequence Infectious Disease Patient Transport: Assessment and management of a PPE breach when caring for a patient suspected or confirmed to have an HCID.
EMS Biohazard Spill: Managing a biohazard spill, including gross contamination with blood, vomit or diarrhea.
EMS Ambulance Operations High-Consequence Infectious Disease Waste Management: Managing waste resulting from the transport and care of a patient suspected or confirmed to have an HCID.
EMS Ambulance Modification Procedure: Modifying an ambulance to protect environmental surfaces and EMS personnel from exposure to potentially infectious body fluids when transporting a patient confirmed to have an HCID.
EMS Ambulance Cleaning and Disinfection: Proper cleaning and disinfection of the ambulance after transporting a patient suspected or confirmed to have an HCID.

These model procedural guidelines were developed by the NETEC EMS/Patient Transport Work Group, which is composed of subject matter experts from the EMS Biosafety Transport Consortium who support the federally designated Regional Emerging Special Pathogen Treatment Centers for transport and management of patients suspected or confirmed to have an HCID.NETEC is made up of staff from Emory University, the University of Nebraska Medical Center/Nebraska Medicine, and NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue. Its mission is to set the gold standard for special pathogen preparedness and response across health systems in the U.S.