Answer:
Four ways to prevent hospital overload during pandemics include;
1. Provision of alternative care centers, such as the isolation centers.
2. Rescheduling medical procedures that are not urgent.
3. Employing telephone or home care, for patients whose symptoms are mild.
4. Soliciting medical personnel volunteers.
Explanation:
In the event of a large-scale outbreak such as an epidemic or pandemic, hospitals endeavor to seek others means to relieve the hospital of an excessive or overwhelming number of patients. This can be realized by;
1. Providing alternative healthcare centers like the isolation wards where critically ill patients can go to, to be specially cared for.
2. Medical procedures that are not so urgent, for example, those related to beauty can be rescheduled.
3. Patients whose symptoms are not so severe can be managed by assigning healthcare staff to their homes or telling them what to do over the phone.
4. The hospitals can collaborate with the Ministries of Health and other health and government agencies to seek for medical personnel volunteers who can help to relieve the workload.
