What is happening in your hospital? Not using N95 mask, NO screening for H1N1 ,

Nurses COVID

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I wonder whats really going on these days. Ive got to really wonder whose protecting who when were mandating nurses to take the shots and trying to blame them. How many hospital are not giving the nurses proper equipment and exposing public to H1N1 by not screening. Nurses are required and being told to wear mask and isolation equipment . The public and hospital are demanding we take the shots and stating we need to take the shot because were exposing the public. Recently I receieved a patient headache, difficulty breathing for 3 days, recent exposure to his wife home sick flu, and nausea. No fever. He came to my floor and not tested for H1N1 and no isolation. I called infection control to discuss this with them. Pt was admitted for respiratory distress. Infection control called back and said yes isolate him. I was told on the phone the regular surgical mask on floor were good but we did not need the N95 mask for the flu. I was also told there not testing for H1N1 anymore since it can only acurately screen for 40% of cases. So now were not isolating , not using N95, and I along with many others present have been exposed to this patient (prior to me placing him in isolation). A nursing student told me she was in the city and they were not using N95 on a patient with confirmed case H1N1. They were using regular masks. I even talk to occupational health from another hospital that was giving shots. THey said their hospital is unsure if ok to use mask they got for N1H1 BUT THEY ARE NOT USING THE N95. Wow how much do they really care about nurses? Are we making thing up as we go and to bad for nurses. I would really like to know whats going on in your hospital! Is this common practice? I hear some hospitals are putting nurses at risk demanding they take the shot that are unproven and possibly severe side effect . Its got me wondering how expendable are we? We will not know how many nurses die from H1N1 if they have stopped testing. Our ratios for nurse to patient have increase related to economy and H1N1. How many people know about new panademic rules ? Who gets a ventilator and who does not. If your on and you get so many days someone else can get it. I was told during this debreifing the nurse /patient ratio maybe 30:1. I dont know about the people making the decisions . I know my hospital is definately have alot of family in it. They're all related. I know it takes along time to survive on ventilator if your one of unlucky ones hit hard by it. But I know my charge nurse brags that manager would make sure shes not taken off in 5 days if not better. What are all the nurses seeing out here. The untold facts. How is your hospital dealing with this? Im really confused. Has money and no humanity driven us this far? Maybe we are just a footprint in the sand that is singled out to a meer non existant state . Many of our untold stories , selfless caring acts and being part of the increasing fatalities just doesnt seem to matter .

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I have got to say. Our hospital hitting the bottom now. We are now ask to use one mask and put it in bag and use it for entire 12 hour shift. Well im sure the virus will like that. CDC wondering how many nurses are getting sick. Well the world will never know . Were not being tested. We are not getting the shot it limited. The public without insurance the shot is readily available. Well that mean one that have insurance can pay for sickness and more money goes to hospital I guess for treatment. I relize there are people that cant afford it. But I got to wonder why are those at more risk arent getting it. Well looks like were expendible. Appears institutions dont care about real lives in general. What are we paying CDC for if its not inforcable to give thos a life risk the shot when they want it. Its not looking good. I have heard from my daughter in south the children are having seeing difficulties and possible blindness from shot. THat will be another thread . What the Side effect. I already have heard if you had virus shot your more prone to contracting H1N1. Great.

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Specializes in ICU, telemetry, LTAC.

My facility is only a year old and we just managed to get the N95 masks, so they are in short supply. We are an LTAC so we have some idea of who is contagious with what, when they arrive. That is the patients, not the visitors, who are being silly. I swear it is really difficult to not be snippy to people who bring a baby into ANY hospital (visiting) during flu season.

So some of them will go in negative pressure rooms if we think they should still be shedding virus, that's just to keep them from flinging it all over the building. Regular masks and droplet isolation, yes please. N95 if you're going to do bronchoscopy or open trach suction/lavage type thing. Definitely if anyone gets intubated orally, but hey that might be kind of a hurry up type thing, so it might be less practical. "code blue- omigosh let me run to my locker for my mask"- that would be interesting.

The nurses come to work sick, complain for a shift, then call in the next day with the flu. !!!

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Specializes in NICU, Post-partum.

It all boils down to MONEY.

My daughter recently fell ill and I took her to the Pediatrician.

There I was informed that insurance companies ARE NOT paying for H1N1 testing.

The cost of the test: Around $300.

That should answer your question why tests are not handed out like candy.

If someone is exhibiting ANY flu symptoms, they are treated AS IF they tested positive...therefore, no test is necessary. Both employees, patients and family members.

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Specializes in NICU, Post-partum.
My hospital chose not to follow the CDC guidelines for about 3 weeks, during which time I got the virus. Now, we are using reusable respirators (what a pain!), which I question the purpose of, once one has had the virus/been vaccinated.

Because it is a virus. The virus will mutate as the flu season goes along and vaccinations is never, ever a guarantee that you won't contract the disease it is meant to prevent.

Not only is your facility supposed to be using the proper respirators, but also providing gowns for droplet precautions to keep you from spreading it to other patients.

I would REFUSE to "cross" between patients if my facility did not provide this protection, not to mention you carrying it throughout the facility on your scrubs.

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Specializes in ICU/PACU.

We're still using the N95 masks but somehow the masks we were fit tested for have gone out of stock...so we are using masks none of us were tested for and that should not be reused. We are changing the rules every few weeks.

Droplet vs. resp precautions. We wear a gown, face mask or goggles, and the N95.

We are still screening with the nasal swab.

We make all visitors put on a surgical mask before entering hospital and no children under age 16 are allowed in the hospital either.

Anyone who comes in with symptoms of H1N1 is places in isolation asap.

I appreciate what they're doing at our hospital. Only thing that's frustrating me right now is not having the vaccine yet when many of my former coworkers across the country recently received it.

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Specializes in Too many to list.
We're still using the N95 masks but somehow the masks we were fit tested for have gone out of stock...so we are using masks none of us were tested for and that should not be reused. We are changing the rules every few weeks.

Droplet vs. resp precautions. We wear a gown, face mask or goggles, and the N95.

You are so right. Yes, those rules certainly do keep changing. Now this research study team is retracting their results. I think that we can figure out what the new rules will be.

Some ID docs are interpreting this to mean that flu is spread primarily by droplets, but I wonder if that actually is the correct conclusion. There is likely to be some commentary by epidemiologists and virologists regarding this retraction. They may not agree with ID.

I would have loved to have been present when this retraction was made public...

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/SwineFluNews/flu-mask-decision-based-flawed-study-authors/story?id=8966585

In a surprise twist, authors here retracted findings of a study that found N95 respirators were better than surgical masks at preventing flu.

The original study, presented earlier this year, formed the basis of some recommendations on the use of masks in a health care setting.

The retraction -- near the end of a presentation at the annual meeting of the Infectious Diseases Society of America -- prompted a "rush to the microphones" by those involved in flu prevention, one expert said.

(hat tip FlaMedic)

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Hi Ac "My hospital chose not to follow the CDC guidelines for about 3 weeks, during which time I got the virus. Now, we are using reusable respirators (what a pain!), which I question the purpose of, once one has had the virus/been vaccinated."

My two pence advice:

In most places, I feel that the surgicla masks are the norm now - maybe they fear some shortage ? Or the H1N1 stuff is ont so deadly as expected ???

anyways, what's going on in Ukraine is a warning ...

In Canada, Uk and somewhre else (India, ...,even in continental Europe) the idea of wearing non disposable masks has been advanced.

What's your experience with them ?

Even vaccinated or having been illed, a protection is better - dont know how the viruses will mutate neither which affects the patient !

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Specializes in Critical care, trauma, cardiac, neuro.

When we balked at the hospital telling us there were other recommendations stating that surgical masks were sufficient, we countered that those sources citing conflicting recommendations (with less expensive masks) than the CDC define cost savings in their mission statements. We nurses were going to stick with the CDC recommendations.

Then, this is where it gets REALLY ugly: we have absolutely NO H1N1 cases in this hospital. IMAGINE THAT! When a patient is tested, the results NEVER come back. When we ask how many weeks it takes to receive a result, we are told to our faces that the patient resulted negative. But they refuse to provide documentation. The doctors tow this line as their eyes avert with guilty feelings. Then we learn through the family members that the result is positive for H1N1 as the hospital continues to tell us the missing report is negative. Meanwhile, the staff is told to not use any masks.

And we are not provided N95 masks even when caring for patients in aerosolizing situations! And some housekeeping and lab personnel are unaware and pregnant too!

I wonder if the savings from less purchases of masks will result in pay raises for us nurses - for those that survive!

What do my fellow nurses think of that? How, other than bringing in OSHA, can we convince management to do the right thing? At least tell us when a patient is suspected and/or positive.

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Specializes in Critical care, trauma, cardiac, neuro.
So my next question would be, after reading the previous post about the respiratory transmission of the flu, what are we supposed to do about our hospitals not providing the proper protection? My hospital hasn't even fit tested me yet and I have been working there for three months. I have yet to actually see an N95 available in the ER. I can't afford to not work. Makes me think about the questions I might be asking when I go to work tomorrow.

I called OSHA today. They told me that they are respecting CDC's recommendations and that failure to provide N95 or equivalent for suspected or confirmed H1N1 is a violation. Here is the OSHA statement to which they referred me: http://osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=NEWS_RELEASES&p_id=16602

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Specializes in Critical care, trauma, cardiac, neuro.
I like the idea of just buying your own. I went in to work today and discussed the issue with my manager and she said that if I wanted to wear one, I could. Apparently the Infection Control Nurse is all bent out of shape and is coming to have a talk with me tomorrow about not following the hospital policy, which is surgical masks. I will by all means offer to her that I am happy to buy my own! Thanks for the idea!

OSHA regs mandate the employer must provide PPE.

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Specializes in Critical care, trauma, cardiac, neuro.

Anyone who comes in with symptoms of H1N1 is places in isolation asap.

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In our hospital, anyone coming in with classic H1N1 symptoms are still being admitted with anything except "flu" so that the staff does not request expensive masks. In fact, we have never had an H1N1 patient in this facility despite being in one of the highest endemic areas of the nation and family members reporting positive H1N1 results. Gotta love for-profit hospital corps.

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