Navigating Health Care Supply Shortages During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cardiologist's Perspective

Originally published 22 Apr 2020 | Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes

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The powerful infectivity of the SARS-CoV-2 virus has led to over 1 million infections worldwide and forced more than half the world's population to live under stay-at-home orders. To respond to this deadly infection, health care workers desperately need personal protective equipment, medical supplies such as ventilators, and pharmaceuticals. However, virtually every country in the world is seeing severe shortages of these health care supplies at a time of maximal need. As cardiologists, we have the opportunity to see how we can change our clinical practices to respond to these health care supply shortages. To determine how we can approach these important issues, we first need to understand how health care supplies are delivered and how COVID-19 has disrupted this system.


Full text of this article is available at https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/abs/10.1161/CIRCOUTCOMES.120.006801