An outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome in a nursing home: Lessons to learn

Ho, Wency W; Hui, Elsie; Kwok, Timothy; Woo, Jean

Hong Kong experienced an epidemic of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) from March to June 2003. Nursing homes were a potential area of cross‐infection because of the crowded living space, substandard environmental hygiene, inadequate ventilation, low working staff to resident ratio, and staff who lacked knowledge of infection control. The mortality in elderly SARS patients was high because of their atypical presentations, their multiple comorbidities, and that they are more susceptible to the side‐effects of treatment. The community geriatric assessment team need to work closely with the hospitals and the primary health care system to provide surveillance of the disease, infection control, and management of sub‐acute clinical problems, in order to reduce unnecessary hospital admissions in nursing home residents during an epidemic outbreak.