How is flu affecting your hospital?

Published

How has flu affected your hospital?

Article below reports: "...42 states have reported widespread levels of the illness with the hard-hit areas in the East, South and Midwest...The West and Southwest have had very little flu."

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/01/10/flu-nation-sick-elderly-flu-deaths-workplace/1823425/

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Specializes in Certified Med/Surg tele, and other stuff.

Our ED is slammed with n/v dehydration and the floor with tons of pneumonia. Some have been placed on bipap or vents. Very scary stuff.

The staff is falling like flies, even though we have been vaccinated. Very few of us have remained healthy (I probably jinxed myself now).

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Specializes in PCCN.

yep - i had my flu shot, and feel like poop right now. I hear they have hallway beds, and are mandating others to work. Thats pretty awful.

I thought for SURE i would not get sick. The sad part is , that I think I got this from one of the other nurses who gave me report last week. Ughhhhhhhh! Im satying home using up my pto ( i didnt want to :( ) because despite wearing a mask ( pt: " oohh, youre sick????) I still have no voice, and like i said ,feel like dogdoo. Maybe said nurse should have stayed home. Ugghhh she's per diem for goshsakes.

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Specializes in Med/Surg & Hospice & Dialysis.

Full. Over flow unit full, ED holding admits. Staffing is worse than bad. Due to on going scheduling issues. All of the med/surg units are 1:7-9. (Normally 1:5-6 occasionally 7).

Surgical units are full of medical patients.

Flu, pneumonia, gi bug was horrible last week.

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Specializes in Cardiovascular, ER.

We are swabbing everyone - a lot of positive rapid flu results. The hallways are lined with these people. The staff (myself included) have been sick. I hope this thing has peaked.

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Specializes in Med/Surg & Hospice & Dialysis.

I can't wait to get my NGTs, ileostomies, colostomies, bariactric surgeries, mastectomies, whipples, thyroidectomy, back.

I'm quite frustrated with the current issues. They closed a smaller unit and redistributed staff. Of course when there was talk of layoffs people started looking for other positions.

One more shift, then on vacation. Lord help me make it through the night :)

I can't tell I am getting burned out, so hopefully this vacation will get my head back in the game.

Sorry to hijack :)

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Specializes in L&D/Maternity nursing.

we're slammed too. This week we had 3 days where we didnt have enough beds for all that needed it. I work OB and my unit was taking on medical patients beause the beds were needed. Thankfully January is projected to be a slow-ish month for us...about 75 women who are due this month (we average about 120 deliveries a month, so this is a significant decrease) so thankfully we have been able to take these cases.

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Specializes in emergency, psy, case management.

http://www.cdc.gov/flu/weekly/weeklyarchives2012-2013/images/image011.gif

Maybe the worst is over?

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Specializes in Acute Care Pediatrics.

North Carolina here, and my hospital is still slamming. Now granted, it's not all flu (lots of just respiratory stuff)... but the flu definitely isn't making our lives easier! My 24 bed unit is usually full or nearly full... and we have had instances where we have had to open up the satellite.

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Specializes in Emergency & Trauma/Adult ICU.

What are your hospitals' protocols:

Swab all admitted patients?

All ED patients too?

Only those that are febrile?

Above what temperature?

Do you isolate swabbed patients until result?

Do you have a rapid or point-of-care flu test?

Does negative rapid/point-of-care result mean the discontinuation of isolation?

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Specializes in Emergency.

Hospital protocol is to swab critical care admits only. A refreshing display of common sense.

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