Management and infection control practices in a Taiwanese radiology department during the COVID-19 outbreak

The radiology department was categorized as a high risk area during the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) outbreak in 2003 and is similarly considered a high risk area during the current coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The purpose of infection control is to isolate patients with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 from uninfected people by utilizing separate equipment, spaces, and healthcare workers. Infection control measures should be prioritized to prevent the nosocomial spread of infection. We established a COVID-19 infection control team in our radiology department. The team's responsibilities include triaging patients with confirmed or suspected COVID-19, performing imaging and reporting, using dedicated equipment, disinfecting the equipment and the immediate environment, and staff scheduling. Copyright (c) 2021, Taiwan Society of Microbiology. Published by Elsevier Taiwan LLC. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/bync-nd/4.0/).

Automated summary

The translated text highlights the classification of the radiology department as a high-risk area during the outbreaks of SARS and COVID-19, emphasizing the importance of infection control, and outlines the responsibilities of the established COVID-19 infection control team.