Lessons learned from SARS pandemic should inform current contagion protocols

In 2003, a novel coronavirus caused a pandemic that affected 26 countries. Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) was most prevalent in Asia; the number of cases in Singapore was second only to China.

In an article published in the American Journal of Roentgenology (AJR), a group of radiologists in Singapore outline the ways in which both medical facilities and practitioners there have incorporated lessons learned from the SARS pandemic.

"The pandemic served as a wake-up call for the medical services, which had to respond and reorganize quickly to meet the rapidly developing clinical situation," say the authors. "While we carry out our mission of imaging diagnosis and intervention, we need to be cognizant of not compromising the safety and well-being of our patients, our staff, and the community."

The article appears in the October issue of the AJR.