SURVEY: Nurses, Are You Prepared for an Encounter with COVID-19?
The Coronavirus/COVID-19 has become a rapidly evolving health threat to individuals and communities around the globe. Nurses are in a position to help stop the spread of this disease if they have up-to-date training, knowledge, and protection.
We first started hearing about the Novel Coronavirus in December 2019. It made the news due to the rapid increase in the numbers of individuals in China who became infected with this new disease. As the deadly virus began to spread, affecting those around the globe, including those in the United States, it has become very obvious that controlling the spread of this virus is going to be a very serious challenge. Since it is a new disease, no one has immunity and there is currently no vaccine available.
On March 11, the COVID-19 outbreak was characterized by the World Health Organization as a Pandemic. As such, it is critical that all members of the health care teams have the appropriate knowledge, training, and personal protective equipment to effectively and safely provide care to patients, without unprotected exposure to themselves.
As a potential first responder to fight this virus, have you received the training needed to assess and care for potential and confirmed COVID-19 patients in your place of work? Do you have adequate equipment? Does your place of employment have a clear and up-to-date protocol for responding to COVID-19? Or are communications confusing or even nonexistent?
Do you feel prepared?
Please take this survey so we can see how nurses from around the globe feel regarding the level of preparedness to fight and stop the spread of this threat to public health. After taking the survey, please return here and share what preparations and precautions your healthcare facility and you personally are taking. We would love to hear from you.
This pandemic as truly exposed the unpreparedness of the healthcare system. Even up till now, the hospitals are yet to address their workers about effective prevention and management of corona virus, Its like we are wishing it just "go away".
Specializes in NICU, PICU, Transport, L&D, Hospice.
8 hours ago, babatee said:
This pandemic as truly exposed the unpreparedness of the healthcare system. Even up till now, the hospitals are yet to address their workers about effective prevention and management of corona virus, Its like we are wishing it just "go away".
Perhaps this is the moment when people realize that business and government are two different entities with different goals and objectives and relationships to capital. Business uses people to make and consolidate money. Government uses money to protect and benefit the people.
This is highlighted in today's crisis. The POTUS thinks and acts with a business sensibility. He believed that he could fire pandemic planning experts and then simply rehire them in a crisis and everything would be fine... clearly it doesn't work that way and delay is critical.
We see that same mentality in other business models which have bare bones disaster planning in place because that costs money. If health businesses don't have necessary PPE for a health crisis, it's because they didn't see having that stockpile as an important part of the role in such a situation. How silly that hospitals, clinics, and nursing facilities find themselves without basic supplies now after the first cases were reported last year. That deficit is not the fault of "panic buying" on the community...it's the fault of poor planning for anticipated events.
Specializes in acute care, ICU, surgery, vasc.surgery,trauma.
We are not prepared in my hospital. There is a shortage of PPE. Only front line staff are being allowed N95s and then these are issued only after a positive test. The patients are not on isolation until then. I was informed by the ID nurse that providers,e.g.NPS,PAS,MDs,are not considered front line staff unless they are with the medicine service. That is ridiculous. We do have a "lockdown" in place,where non medical staff are stopping people at the doors asking them if they have been sick in last 2 weeks. Supposedly they are asking about travel but I have listened and they are not. Some of the local hospitals are checking temps @the door,we are not. I see patients in clinic and in hospital. I asked the clinic nursing staff last week about preparedness and frankly,they were clueless.One of the docs I work with keeps insisting that its just like the regular flu.I give up.?
Perhaps this is the moment when people realize that business and government are two different entities with different goals and objectives and relationships to capital. Business uses people to make and consolidate money. Government uses money to protect and benefit the people.
Mic drop.
This should be the sub-heading for all allnurses COVID-19 threads.
Specializes in Critical care, tele, Medical-Surgical.
18 hours ago, juniper222 said:
I wonder just how many facilities had a plan in place for such a contingency prior to this? I hate when people say "that will never happen", and then it happens. Just 3 weeks ago I was talking with a fellow student about remote learning and the internet. I mentioned that during flu season it could reduce the spread of disease. He replied that he doubted it would be a viable plan. Now, all the schools are using that plan.
I am not aware of any hospitals who have a plan for outbreaks. Please correct me if I'm wrong.
Nurses Say Eastern Maine Medical Center Has Addressed Many of Their Concerns Over COVID-19 Safety Preparations
Earlier today registered nurses at Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center (EMMC) highlighted progress that has been made through talks with the medical center concerning its preparedness for COVID-19, announced Maine State Nurses Association (MSNA).
“For the last few months the hospital has cooperated with us and shared important information on their preparations for the spread of COVID-19,” said MSNA President Cokie Giles. “We have been very pleased at the amount of transparency they gave us leading up to the current crisis, and the standards they set for protective equipment to keep both caregivers and patients safe. We were very glad to learn, just last night, that EMMC management has responded positively to many of our suggestions that will help keep nurses, other caregivers and workers and visitors safe from COVID-19 when they come to our facility.”...
Veterans Health Administration unions decry management’s failure to involve them in COVID-19 preparations, call to work together
We health care workers in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) system, deeply dismayed by the lack of preparations, planning, and communications so far in response to COVID-19, are calling on VHA management to work with us to ensure the nation’s VA health facilities can safely handle COVID-19...
Specializes in ACNP-BC, Adult Critical Care, Cardiology.
Mary, those questions are hard to answer with a plan yes or no or maybe, LOL!
Am I prepared to care for a COVID19 patient? yes and we have taken care of them...are we prepared for an onslaught of severe cases of COVID19? that will be a huge strain on any hospital if that were to happen. As it is, there is only a finite number of ventilators and ICU rooms that are equipped for those requiring intubation and mechanical ventilation. Our current number of confirmed and PUI's have not gone to a point where supplies are running low, not yet, and I hope that it never reaches that point.
As a healthcare professional and ICU provider, I am concerned about getting this virus in the course of my work and infecting my loved ones at home who have risk factors for developing the severe disease.
All nursing homes and LTC's should be on lockdown. We don't have enough PPE. It's airborne folks. Yes, aresolized at least 3 hrs indoors. Found in air vents alive and more highly concentrated than surfaces which can itself be up to 9 days depending on surface, temp, humidity. PAPR is recommended over an N 95 if possible. Good luck getting those though. USA is not prepared. Not the front line workers, but the necessary equipment and supplies. Up to 20% of infected health care workers in northern Italy have ended up on vents in ICU! Thank you for outsourcing our mask and abx productions to China and India who has already said they are not exporting 24 meds specific to this war with covid19 to use for their own population. Don't blame them. I blame the CDC, HHS, and Homeland security for failing us in this crisis!
Agree with previous poster who thanks those responsible for outsourcing our medicine production to India and China. Never think of our own population (American manufacturing jobs) first. So India and China call the shots on our supplies of medicine.
Chief NP, MSN, RN, APN, APRN, NP
68 Posts
This pandemic as truly exposed the unpreparedness of the healthcare system. Even up till now, the hospitals are yet to address their workers about effective prevention and management of corona virus, Its like we are wishing it just "go away".