Ebola: A Practice Summary for Nurse Practitioners

• Deadly Ebola virus disease carries up to a 90% mortality rate.
• Vaccines to prevent outbreaks and drugs to treat patients infected with EVD are on the horizon.
• Nurse practitioners need a readily available risk factor assessment tool.
• It is essential to have a well-developed plan for treating patients with suspected Ebola in primary care.

This feature reviews pathophysiology, epidemiology, and prevention of Ebola virus disease. Information is presented that is needed to educate patients and to protect oneself, staff, and other patients in the event a patient with suspected Ebola presents for medical care. A screening tool is provided, as well as a concise method to eliminate differential diagnoses related to this dreaded disease. Diagnostic testing and initial treatment requirements are outlined. In the event a patient presents to primary care, guidance is given for initial steps and precautions necessary to contain and manage a patient with Ebola.