Infectious Disease Readiness
The NYC Health Department works to enhance citywide readiness for emerging and reemerging high-consequence infectious diseases (HCIDs) and other communicable diseases of public health concern (such as measles). New York City is an international crossroads and disease outbreaks anywhere in the world can make their way here.
Health care facilities and emergency medical services must be ready to prevent, detect and respond to dangerous pathogens. The tools and guidance documents found on this page are designed to help health care systems prepare to safely and successfully identify, isolate, assess, and manage patients with a suspected or confirmed HCID.
Mystery Patient Drills
An effective method to promote best practices in screening, isolation and infection control in acute care settings is to conduct unannounced mystery patient drills (MPDs).
The following toolkit is designed to be an adaptable resource for frontline healthcare facilities to test their ability to rapidly and safely identify, isolate, and inform when potential patients with communicable diseases of public health concern present for care.
Mystery Patient Drill Toolkit
To request resources in a modifiable format, email rxinfo@health.nyc.gov.
- Mystery Patient Drill Toolkit Facility Training (PPT): Provides an overview of the MPD program and toolkit and reviews the planning, evaluation and improvement process.
- Staff Training on Screening and Isolation (PPT): Provides frontline healthcare facility staff with an overview on initial identification and management of potentially infectious patients to protect staff and patients from transmission of HCIDs.
- Mystery Patient Drill Planning Checklist (PDF): Overviews what you need to prepare for and conduct a drill.
- Mystery Patient Drill Exercise Plan and Exercise Evaluation Guide (PDF): Can be customized based on the preferred drill scenario and objectives.
- Example REDCap Data Collection Form (PDF)
- After-Action Report Template (PDF): Guides improvement planning after the drill is conducted.
Publications on the Use of Mystery Patient Drills
- Kyaw NTT, Foote MM, Lo Piccolo AJ, et.al. Unannounced Drills Using Patient Actors to Evaluate Health Care Facility Readiness for Infectious Disease Outbreaks — New Jersey, New York, and U.S. Virgin Islands, January–June 2026. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2026;75(38):581–587.
- Foote MM, Styles TS, Quinn CL. Assessment of Hospital Emergency Department Response to Potentially Infectious Diseases Using Unannounced Mystery Patient Drills — New York City, 2016. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2017;66:945–949.
- Foote, M., et al. Using "Mystery Patient" Drills to Assess Hospital Ebola Preparedness in New York City, 2014-2015. Health Secur 15(5): 500-508.
- Ali, M. and M. D. Williams. No-Notice Mystery Patient Drills to Assess Emergency Preparedness for Infectious Diseases at Community Health Centers in New York City, 2015-2016. J Community Health 44(2): 387-394.
Additional Resources for Screening, Isolation and Infection Control in Acute Care Settings
- New York State Department of Health Global Health Update Report: Published weekly and summarizes global infectious disease outbreaks of interest to public health and healthcare professionals.
- Preventing Measles in Health Care Settings (PDF): Provides detailed guidance on best practices to reduce the risk of measles exposures in hospitals and other acute care settings.
- Minnesota Department of Health: High Consequence Infectious Disease (HCID) Toolbox for Frontline Health Care Facilities
- Georgia Department of Public Health: Travel Clinical Assistant
- CDC: Post-Travel Evaluation of the Ill Traveler
- NYC Guidance for Screening and Isolation Protocols in Acute Care (PDF): Provides a reference for developing or revising your facility’s screening and isolation protocols.