The Development and Rollout of Medical Grab Bags for Resuscitating Critically Unwell Patients with Suspected COVID-19

Aim To optimise preparation for and reduce the stress of managing critically ill patients with suspected COVID-19 in the Emergency Department at Cork University Hospital using locally designed medical grab bags. Methods Grab bags were designed by Emergency Department staff to contain equipment necessary for resuscitation of unstable patients requiring isolation. Content was iteratively refined to reflect current clinical guidance. 12 months post rollout, staff were surveyed on their experience of the bags using a 5-point Likert-type scale. Agreement was defined as at least 70% of respondents rating an indicator as “agree” or “strongly agree”. Data were analysed using SPSS. Results Eighty-five grab bags were produced with seventy-four used in twelve months. Twenty-six staff members replied to the survey. Sixteen (61.53%) used the bags more than five times, while one respondent (3.84%) had never used the bags. Agreement was reached that grab bags helped staff members feel prepared to, reduced the stress of, and minimised delays in treating unstable patients with suspected COVID-19. Staff agreed that grab bags contained sufficient equipment, however ten members (38.5%) felt that the bags contained excess equipment. Conclusion The introduction of Primary Assessor Grab Bags at CUH ED was observed to optimise staff preparedness for and reduce the stress of treating critically unwell patients in isolation.