Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)

Hospital Preparedness Assessment Tool 

U.S. D

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All U.S. hospitals should be prepared for the possible arrival of patients with Coronavirus Disease

2019 (COVID-19). All hospitals should ensure their staff are trained, equipped and capable of 

practices needed to: 

 Prevent the spread of respiratory diseases including COVID-19 within the facility

 Promptly identify and isolate patients with possible COVID-19 and inform the correct facility staff 

and public health authorities

 Care for a limited number of patients with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 as part of 

routine operations

 Potentially care for a larger number of patients in the context of an escalating outbreak

 Monitor and manage any healthcare personnel that might be exposed to COVID-19 

 Communicate effectively within the facility and plan for appropriate external communication 

related to COVID-19

The following checklist does not describe mandatory requirements or standards; rather, it 

highlights important areas for hospitals to review in preparation for potential arrivals of COVID-19

patients.

1. Infection prevention and control policies and training for healthcare personnel (HCP):

 Facility leadership including the Chief Medical Officer, quality officers, hospital epidemiologist, and heads 

of services (e.g., infection control, emergency department, environmental services, pediatrics, critical care) 

has reviewed the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s COVID-19 guidance.

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nCoV/guidance-hcp.html

 Facility provides education and job-specific training to HCP regarding COVID-19 including:

 Signs and symptoms of infection

 How to safely collect a specimen

 Correct infection control practices and personal protective equipment (PPE) use

 Triage procedures including patient placement

 HCP sick leave policies and recommended actions for unprotected exposures (e.g., not using 

recommended PPE, an unrecognized infectious patient contact)

 How and to whom COVID-19 cases should be reported

Elements to be assessed

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2. Process for rapidly identifying and isolating patients with confirmed or suspected COVID-19:

 Signs are posted at entrances with instructions to individuals with symptoms of respiratory infection to: 

immediately put on a mask and keep it on during their assessment, cover their mouth/nose when coughing 

or sneezing, use and dispose of tissues, and perform hand hygiene after contact with respiratory secretions.

 Facemasks are provided to coughing patients and other symptomatic individuals upon entry to the facility.

 Signs are posted in triage areas (e.g., ED entrances) advising patients with fever or symptoms of respiratory 

infection and recent travel outside the US, specifically to China, to immediately notify triage personnel so 

appropriate precautions can be put in place.

 Alcohol based hand sanitizer for hand hygiene is available at each entrance and in all common areas.

 Facility provides tissues and no-touch receptacles for disposal of tissues in waiting rooms and in common 

areas.

 Facility has a separate well-ventilated space that allows waiting patients to be separated by 6 or more feet, 

with easy access to respiratory hygiene and cough etiquette supplies.

 Facility has a process to ensure patients with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 are rapidly moved to an 

Airborne Infection Isolation Room (AIIR).

 Alternatively, for patients that cannot be immediately placed in a room for further evaluation, a system is 

provided that allows them to wait in a personal vehicle or outside the facility (if medically appropriate) and 

be notified by phone or other remote methods when it is their turn to be evaluated.

 Triage personnel are trained on appropriate processes (e.g., questions to ask and actions to take) to rapidly 

identify and isolate suspect cases.

 Facility has a process that occurs after a suspect case is identified to include immediate notification of facility 

leadership/infection control.

 Facility has a process to notify local or state health department of a suspect case soon after arrival.

 Facility has a process for receiving suspect cases arriving by ambulance.

3. Patient placement:

 Confirm the number and location of Airborne Infection Isolation Rooms (AIIRs) available in the facility 

(ideally AIIRs will be available in the emergency department and on inpatient units)

 Document that each AIIR has been tested and is effective (e.g., sufficient air exchanges, negative pressure, 

exhaust handling) within the last month. The AIIR should be checked for negative pressure before 

occupancy.

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 Verify each AIIR meets the following criteria:

 Minimum of 6 air changes per hour (12 air changes per hour are recommended for new construction or 

renovation).

 Air from these rooms should be exhausted directly to the outside or be filtered through a high-efficiency 

particulate air (HEPA) filter before recirculation.

 Room doors should be kept closed except when entering or leaving the room, and entry and exit should be 

minimized.

 When occupied by a patient, the AIIR is checked daily for negative pressure.

 A protocol is established, which specifies that aerosol-generating procedures that are likely to induce coughing 

(e.g., sputum induction, open suctioning of airways) are to be performed in an AIIR using appropriate PPE.

 Facility has plans to minimize the number of HCP who enter the room. Only essential personnel enter the AIIR.

Facilities should consider caring for these patients with dedicated HCP to minimize risk of transmission and 

exposure to other patients and HCP.

 Facility has a process (e.g., a log, electronic tracking) for documenting HCP entering and exiting the patient room.

 Facility has policies for dedicating noncritical patient-care equipment to the patient.

4. Transmission-Based Precautions (use Standard, Contact, Airborne Precautions plus eye

protection for patients with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 cases):

 Personal protective equipment (PPE) and other infection prevention and control supplies (e.g., hand hygiene 

supplies) that would be used for both healthcare personnel (HCP) protection and source control for infected 

patients (e.g., facemask on the patient) are located in sufficient supply including at patient arrival, triage, and 

assessment locations.

 Facility has a respiratory protection program. Appropriate HCP have been medically cleared, fit-tested, and 

trained for respirator use.

 HCP receive appropriate training, including “just in time” training on selection and proper use of (including 

putting on and removing) PPE, with a required demonstration of competency.

 Facility has a process for auditing adherence to recommended PPE use by HCP.

5. Movement of patients with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 within the facility:

 Patient movement outside of the AIIR will be limited to medically-essential purposes.

 A protocol is in place to ensure that, if the patient is being transported outside of the room, HCP in the receiving 

area are notified in advance.

 Patients transported outside of their AIIR will be asked to wear a facemask and be covered with a clean sheet 

during transport.

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6. Hand hygiene (HH):

 HH supplies, including alcohol-based hand sanitizer are readily accessible in patient care areas, including areas 

where HCP remove PPE.

 Facility has a process for auditing adherence to recommended hand hygiene practices by HCP.

7. Environmental cleaning:

 Facility has a plan to ensure proper cleaning and disinfection of environmental surfaces and equipment in the 

patient room.

 If environmental services personnel are given this responsibility, they should be appropriately trained and 

fit-tested.

 All HCP with cleaning responsibilities understand the contact time for selected products.

 Facility has a process to ensure shared or non-dedicated equipment is cleaned and disinfected after use 

according to manufacturer’s recommendations.

 Facility uses an EPA-registered hospital-grade disinfectant with EPA-approved emerging viral pathogens claims 

on hard non-porous surfaces.

 If there are no available EPA-registered products that have an approved emerging viral pathogen claim for 

COVID-19, products with label claims against human coronaviruses should be used according to label 

instructions.

8. Monitoring and managing HCP:

 The facility follows the local/state public health authority’s policies and procedures for monitoring and managing 

HCP with potential for exposure to COVID-19, including ensuring that HCP have ready access, including via 

telephone, to medical consultation.

 Facility has a process to track exposures and conduct active- and/or self-monitoring of HCP if required by public 

health.

 Facility has a process to conduct symptom and temperature checks prior to the start of any shift of asymptomatic, 

exposed HCP that are not work restricted.

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9. Visitor access and movement within the facility:

 Plans for visitor access and movement within the facility have been reviewed and updated within the last 12 

months.

 Visitors are screened for symptoms of acute respiratory illness before entering the hospital.

 Facility has a plan to restrict visitation to rooms of patients with confirmed or suspected COVID-19.

 If visitors are allowed to enter the room of a confirmed or suspected COVID-19 patient, the facility will:

 Enact a policy defining what PPE should be used by visitors.

 Provide instruction to visitors before they enter a patient room, on hand hygiene, limiting surfaces touched, 

and use of PPE according to current facility policy. 

10. Facility regularly monitors the situation on CDC's coronavirus disease

(COVID-19) web page. www.cdc.gov/COVID19

www.cdc.gov/COVID19

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 Maintain a record (e.g., a log with contact information) of all visitors who enter and exit the room.

 Ensure that visitors limit their movement within facility (e.g. avoid the cafeteria).