Overview
ISO/PAS 23307:2024 - Healthcare organization management - Pandemic response - Guidance for managing infected patients with respiratory infectious disease - is a Publicly Available Specification (first edition, August 2024) prepared by ISO/TC 304. The document provides recommendations for healthcare organizations on classifying and managing patients infected with high‑transmission respiratory pathogens (examples cited include SARS, MERS and COVID‑19). It addresses patient triage, infection control, ports‑of‑entry (POE) screening, self‑quarantine, hospital bed allocation and resource management to protect patients and healthcare workers during a pandemic.
Key topics and requirements
- Patient classification and triage
- Preliminary classification procedure: identify clinical symptoms and risk factors, determine treatment priority, and select patients requiring in‑patient care.
- Severity staging (example table): ranges from noninfectious (Stage 0) to death (Stage 8), with intermediate stages defined by level of respiratory support (ambulatory care; nasal prong, facial mask, high‑flow/non‑invasive ventilation; invasive ventilation; ECMO/CRRT).
- Control of confirmed patients
- POE screening and measures for symptomatic and asymptomatic entrants, including testing within 24 hours of entry and escalation pathways for severe cases.
- Specific control measures for confirmed patients at POE: referral to nationally designated beds for severe/high‑risk patients; home treatment or designated transport for mild/asymptomatic cases.
- Self‑quarantine guidance
- Definitions of who is subject to self‑quarantine (confirmed patients treated at home, close contacts in vulnerable facilities, caregivers in cohort quarantine).
- Quarantine area and method: preference for current residence, designated facilities for short‑term visitors, hygiene and separation requirements, allowance for caregivers when needed.
- Restrictions and post‑quarantine recommendations (e.g., mask wearing for at least three days after release).
- Hospital care and bed management
- Criteria for ICU admission and bed allocation for severely ill patients.
- Operation of designated isolation beds and general isolation beds, and resource management to support surge capacity.
Applications and users
- Primary users: hospital administrators, infection prevention and control (IPC) teams, emergency departments, ICU teams, public health authorities, and POE/immigration health units.
- Practical applications: designing triage workflows, establishing POE screening protocols, setting quarantine policies, planning isolation bed operations, and allocating resources during respiratory disease pandemics.
Related standards
- References WHO clinical classification approaches (used as a basis for severity criteria).
- Terminology cross‑references (e.g., ISO/TS 16975‑4:2022 for “asymptomatic”).
Keywords: ISO/PAS 23307:2024, pandemic response, healthcare organization management, respiratory infectious disease, patient classification, infection control, self‑quarantine, ports of entry, isolation beds, resource management.