Table 1 Division of infectious diseases roles and key responsibilities in the COVID-19 response
From: Responding to COVID-19: how an academic infectious diseases division mobilized in Singapore
Role | Key responsibilities |
|---|---|
Division chief | Provide leadership for the division pandemic response and overall strategy |
Reorganize existing roles, manpower, and other division resources to ensure leadership and business continuity | |
Ensure hospital- and national-level advocacy, feedback, and coordination | |
Clinical director | Oversee divisional rosters and manages clinical team to ensure sustainability |
Develop clinical workflows and protocols in partnership with key stakeholders | |
Coordinate with major stakeholders within the department of medicine and hospital (i.e., emergency department, ambulatory services) | |
Deputy clinical director | Job-share with clinical director to ensure continuity and adequate downtime |
Coordinate with select stakeholders that care for patient populations requiring distinct workflows/protocols (i.e., transplant, hematology-oncology) | |
IPC director | Lead multidisciplinary IPC efforts at hospital level with national-level advocacy and coordination |
Oversee IPC protocols including personal protective equipment guidance to protect against nosocomial transmission | |
Advocate and plan for enhanced screening, isolation, and cohort capacity | |
ID-IPC liaison | Liaise with key stakeholders requiring enhanced IPC input (i.e., anesthesiology department, intensive care units) |
Coordinate with infection control nurses to audit IPC practices on pandemic wards, operating room workflows | |
Partner with occupational health clinic to develop protocols for screening of exposed or unwell staff | |
Hospital epidemiology director | Oversee hospital contact tracing for confirmed cases, to ensure no IPC breaches and no staff, patients, or visitors exposed |
Synthesize and report data nationally and to hospital leadership | |
Manage epidemiology unit and plan for surge manpower | |
Pandemic team clinicians | Oversee patient care and manage medical teams on wards caring for COVID-19 patients |
Embed in pandemic teams as a COVID-19 resource and review all screened suspect cases | |
Non-pandemic team clinicians | Ensure continuity of division non-COVID-19 clinical inpatient and outpatient services |
Cross-cover some of the duties of pandemic team clinicians | |
Research director | Coordinate and prioritize research with clinicians and university basic science departments |
Update literature reviews and summaries of emerging treatment and other COVID-19-related evidence | |
Fellowship program director | Ensure safety, well-being ,and optimal education-service balance for ID trainees |
Adjust teaching activities to adapt to pandemic response phase and maximize learning opportunities | |
Media liaison | Coordinate responses to media and public education requests |