The Use of Video in Infection Control

BACKGROUND: Our institution, a 1200-bed teaching hospital in New York City, mobilized in response to the threat of SARS in 2003. PROJECT: The New York-Presbyterian Hospital SARS Task Force decided to develop a videotape that depicts the step-by-step technique for donning and removing the personal protective equipment worn during the care of SARS patients. This videotape was written and performed by hospital staff members, and produced in conjunction with Columbia University, Center for Biomedical Communications. RESULTS: A video format was chosen as the best way to demonstrate visual techniques that are difficult to show via written materials. We wrote a script, built a set to replicate a negative-pressure isolation room, and had staff members from the Department of Epidemiology take prominent roles. The videotape opens with a brief introduction to the global SARS situation in 2002-2003 utilizing a voice-over and graphics. The action then transitions to the set where a narrator provides the necessary explanations. The viewers see the role of the “Observer,” a nurse whose task it is to enforce the SARS policies, and watch a social worker, housekeeper, and physician step through the techniques of donning and removing personal protective gear. LESSONS LEARNED: Through this collaborative effort, our facility has a highly effective tool that educates our staff in the steps required to themselves and their colleagues from a life-threatening illness.