High level isolation unit HLIU

Safe care

All safety and quality requirements, for patient and employee, were taken into account in the design of the building. A few examples:

• The building has a separate ambulance entrance, so that patients with (suspected) high-consequence infectious diseases can be taken to their rooms directly and without contact with healthcare professionals, patients and visitors.
• The four HLIU rooms have double locks. In the ingoing ante room, the donning procedure of the personal protective equipment of the healthcare professional takes place. In the outgoing ante room, the doffing procedure of the healthcare professional’s isolation suit takes place. This reduces the risk of contamination when donning and doffing.
• A "VAR" (video assistant referee) continually watches from a distance and intervenes if an error is made, for example when donning of doffing personal protective equipment.
• State-of-the-art communication systems have been installed so that the patient can communicate well with the healthcare professionals and the healthcare professionals can understand each other well, despite the limitations of the isolation suit worn by caregivers.
• Blood of a patient with a (suspected) high-consequence infectious diseases cannot be tested in a regular laboratory, but in a small point-of-care lab on the HLIU some lab tests can be.
• The medical condition of the patient is continuously monitored remotely to detect deterioration at an early stage without the need for a nurse to be physically present; this also avoids as much as possible the risks of an emergency situation for the healthcare professionals.
• Two HLIU rooms are equipped as ICU-rooms. Should the patient deteriorate to the point that ICU care is required, the patient does not need to be transported through the hospital to the ICU. The IC equipment is connected in the HLIU and IC staff comes to the HLIU.

Patient-friendly environment

Patients can receive visitors in the HLIU under strict security conditions. If visitors cannot be in the same room because of the patient's guiding protocol and infectious condition, patient and visitor can see each other privately through glass.

A homely atmosphere has been created in the building, with a family room for patients' loved ones. There they can retreat for a while without having to take protective measures.

Training Facility

The HLIU is ideally suited for training healthcare professionals in safety procedures related to caring for patients with (suspected) high-consequence infectious diseases. This includes physicians, nurses, infection prevention experts and others involved in the care of these patients. They learn how to safely donn and doff the isolation suit and receive training focused on their specific tasks, such as performing diagnostic tests and cleaning and disinfecting the environment. During the interdisciplinary real-life scenario training, the healthcare professionals also learn how best to collaborate during these unique and difficult circumstances.

Besides training our own healthcare professionals, we also offer trainings to healthcare professionals who might get into contact with an unexpected patient with a (suspected) high-consequence infectious disease in another healthcare facility. In this training, healthcare professionals receive guidance on how to act in these circumstances, tailored to the setting of the healthcare facility.

For more information about the possibilities, please contact Manon Tingen-Wieland, infection prevention expert: Manon.Wieland@radboudumc.nl.