Combating the 2019-nCoV: Management Guidelines of Square Cabin Hospitals in Wuhan, China

Abstract

In the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak, Wuhan, the severe shortage of medical resources had resulted in a large number of undiagnosed and untreated patients. Failed to be timely quarantined by designated hospitals, these patients were forced to become the primary source of infection. In response, starting on February 3, 2020, Wuhan began to build a series of makeshift “square cabin” hospitals to treat patients with mild coronavirus infections. The activation of 17 square cabin hospitals had effectively enhanced the city’s ability to admit patients and offer medical treatment. The purpose of this article was to share our experience of square cabin hospitals with the countries and regions that are currently suffering from the epidemic. The guidelines include the preparation work for the opening of square cabin hospitals and the management of personnel and medical supplies in the square cabin hospitals.

Funding: The study was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (71704024, 81801778), National Key R&D Program of China (2018YFC0910700), and The Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (CXTD11-01).

Conflict of Interest: We declare no competing interests.

Keywords: Coronavirus outbreak, Wuhan, Square cabin hospital

JEL Classification: I18