Introduction: With the second surge of the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a precipitating need for capacity enhancement of the emergency area in our setting, regarding the number of beds and circulation space. The existing facility for COVID 19 testing of our employees was zeroed in on to be transformed into a fully functional pediatric emergency department. Methods: With a period of 72 hours, the project was undertaken with precise ground-level planning, listing and cohorting of activities, and clear earmarking of roles amongst the team members. The activities were transcribed onto a Gantt chart, assigned timelines to them, and the rate-limiting steps were identified. The civil and electrical works entailed: 1) dismantling of existing structures, 2) putting up of wash basins, 3) RO water system, 4) placement of signages, 5) setting up of a registration area, 6) placement of curtain assembly for each bed, 7) creation of electric-panels at head ends of beds, 8) provision of UPS points, and 8) alternate source of electricity for life saving equipment which were undertaken on a war footing. The IT points were mapped; the telephone line for internal communication and the LAN were extended. The extension of manifold pipeline works from the Trauma ED area to the pediatric emergency department is a rate-limiting step in our timelines, and the execution of it kept us ahead of the planning curve. Results: The floor area and beds that became available through this transformed new pediatric emergency department were about 279 square meters and 16 beds, almost 3.6 times the floor area and double the bed strength of the old pediatric emergency department. Conclusion: While it required significant planning on paper and onsite visits by the team members from Hospital Administration, Pediatrics, Engineers, and Manifold, creating a spacious, contemporary pediatric emergency department was made possible within 72 hours.
Sodhi et al. (Sun,) studied this question.