Standing orders for public health outbreak or emergency

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Specializes in public health, heme/onc, research.

I am researching the utility of having standing orders for public health nurses to use during a public health emergency, specifically during a foodborne or waterborne outbreaks. The orders would be for collecting stool specimens and sending them to the state lab for testing. My agency covers and underserved area with few providers and it would be helpful if the epidemiologists doing the investigations could refer suspect cases for specimen collection/testing. I have only seen research articles about using standing orders for influenza or other vaccine preventable diseases. Does anyone have standing orders or using SDOs for a situation like this??

Thanks!

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In addition to checking with your state's Department of Public Health,

if there is a School of Public Health at a university near you check

with their Epidemiology dept. You have a timely question with all the

food bourne outbreaks that are occurring. Good luck with your research!

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Specializes in public health, heme/onc, research.

I work for the state health department, and no one here knows of such a procedure. I hadn't thought about checking with the public health school. I will do that. Shortly after my posting, we had to quickly write some general epi investigation SDOs because of a potential outbreak situation where speicmens need to be collected. So now we have something, but I'm interested in hearing about other agencies experiences. PubMed is coming up empty for me. thanks

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Specializes in public health, immunizations.

Why not have your medical director sign the standing orders? Second suggestion would be to ask your State epidemiologist.

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