Survey Results: To Quarantine or not to Quarantine

We surveyed our nursing community to see what you thought about the issues over the Kaci Hickox situation as well as its impact on nurses and healthcare workers. We also asked about your thoughts on quarantining all healthcare workers who have cared for Ebola patients. These issues have certainly generated lots of discussion within our allnurses community. We've read what some of you have said in the public threads......now you can see what more than 3,800 said in private. Nurses Announcements Archive

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To Quarantine or Not to Quarantine......That is the Question that we posed last Thursday. We just want to thank the 3800+ of you nurses who took the time to participate in the latest survey. Your voices have been heard and here is what you said about Kaci Hickox and other healthcare workers who have cared for Ebola patients.

Many posters felt that nurses who took care of Ebola patients should voluntarily quarantine themselves and not run the risk of infecting others....we should err on the side of caution. Some thought quarantine should be mandatory. Many comments were made that we don't know enough about Ebola, and that is causing a lot of discomfort. Some felt that quarantine was not necessary since she is asymptomatic, and some interesting comments pointed to hysteria and reactionism to the possible need for quarantine. Other comments included that the nurses should get paid for this time and several others weren't quite sure of the need for quarantine or not and wanted more information. Some felt "this nurse should be setting a good example for others."

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There were 581 comments on this question

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The second question garnered 441 comments.

Many comments were made to the effect that this nurse needed to more closely monitor her interactions with the media. Nurses usually have no public relations experience and for this nurse it was the cause of much negative publicity. "Kaci has turned this into a media frenzy." While many agree with her position, they feel she has handled this poorly.

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Summary of comments

There were over 2300 comments:

Most responders said that until we know more we should quarantine with pay. Many felt that education and following CDC guidelines was the way to deal with healthcare workers exposed to Ebola. Another commonality was to provide more information to the public so that hysteria and panic was averted. Many posters felt that self-quarantine was the way to go and others felt that these healthcare workers should be monitored in a CDC facility.

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Specializes in FNP, ONP.

Quarantine away if you must. Call me selfish, but I'm guessing those nurses who'd hesitate are thinking of NOT acquiring this illness.

Boston FNP summed up my feelings about most of the other comments perfectly. I did have to wonder if you are aware that you said this to the one person on the site (that I am aware of) that has, for the last 18 years, has spent their summer volunteering in Asia and/or Africa (alongside my ENTIRE family I might add, including spouse and our 7 children). Sorry, it just made me laugh out loud.

Am I trying to get Ebola? Of course not. Neither am I trying to get malaria, but I have. Nor will either disease or any of the dozens of others we've been exposed to keep us from going next year, and the year after, and the year after that, ad infinitum until I'm too old and decrepit to go any longer, or have died from one of said diseases. lol. You try to quarantine me upon my return and I will fight you with every resource I can muster. It is nonsense, and I won't stand for nonsense, even if it makes ignorant people less frightened.

Thanks for playing.

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Specializes in Telemetry, IMCU.
Boston FNP summed up my feelings about most of the other comments perfectly. I did have to wonder if you are aware that you said this to the one person on the site (that I am aware of) that has, for the last 18 years, has spent their summer volunteering in Asia and/or Africa (alongside my ENTIRE family I might add, including spouse and our 7 children). Sorry, it just made me laugh out loud.

Am I trying to get Ebola? Of course not. Neither am I trying to get malaria, but I have. Nor will either disease or any of the dozens of others we've been exposed to keep us from going next year, and the year after, and the year after that, ad infinitum until I'm too old and decrepit to go any longer, or have died from one of said diseases. lol. You try to quarantine me upon my return and I will fight you with every resource I can muster. It is nonsense, and I won't stand for nonsense, even if it makes ignorant people less frightened.

Thanks for playing.

You think I give a rat's behind if you went to Africa? It's not all about you, sorry to say. If the CDC were to require a quarantine from you, then fight away, but that just shows how selfish you are. Both of you. Keep going to Africa/Asia, more power to you, but again, during a trying time as this, for you to fight AGAINST something so basic, your DNP just stands for "Do Not Practice".

No, thank YOU for playing.

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Specializes in Adult Internal Medicine.
You think I give a rat's behind if you went to Africa? It's not all about you, sorry to say. If the CDC were to require a quarantine from you, then fight away, but that just shows how selfish you are. Both of you. Keep going to Africa/Asia, more power to you, but again, during a trying time as this, for you to fight AGAINST something so basic, your DNP just stands for "Do Not Practice".

No, thank YOU for playing.

The irony of calling a provider "selfish" and stating that is is "not all about you" for traveling abroad on humanitarian missions after you posted "Call me selfish, but I'm guessing those nurses who'd hesitate are thinking of NOT acquiring this illness." is palpable.

You still don't understand the quarantine issue do you? You are making an excellent example of the rationale for requiring more education of nurses.

Sent from my iPhone.

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Specializes in OR, Nursing Professional Development.
If the CDC were to require a quarantine from you, then fight away, but that just shows how selfish you are.

That right there is the whole issue those of us opposed have- the quarantine was NOT supported by the CDC. It was nothing more than politicians pandering to public fear for votes. There is absolutely no scientific reasoning to quarantine asymptomatic people. Monitor, sure, but that can be done from the comfort of one's own home while they go about their normal daily lives, not a tent without indoor plumbing.

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Specializes in Telemetry, IMCU.
The irony of calling a provider "selfish" and stating that is is "not all about you" for traveling abroad on humanitarian missions after you posted "Call me selfish, but I'm guessing those nurses who'd hesitate are thinking of NOT acquiring this illness." is palpable.

You still don't understand the quarantine issue do you? You are making an excellent example of the rationale for requiring more education of nurses.

Sent from my iPhone.

Yes, I do understand the parameters and rationale for quarantines. Get off your high horse and stop pretending that your degree (piece of paper) invalidates the knowledge or education of RNs or LPNs. THIS is why many nurses have an issue with doctors. We're not beneath you, so there is no need to flex your acquirement of your degree.

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If you understood, you would not support the quarantine. And before you attack me too, I work with LPNs and feel many of them are more intelligent than some of the RNs I work with, and I am an educator in an LPN program. Quarantining an ASYMPTOMATIC individual has NO BASIS IN FACT - it's all about making people feel safer, not actually making them any safer.

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Specializes in Adult Internal Medicine.
Yes, I do understand the parameters and rationale for quarantines. Get off your high horse and stop pretending that your degree (piece of paper) invalidates the knowledge or education of RNs or LPNs. THIS is why many nurses have an issue with doctors. We're not beneath you, so there is no need to flex your acquirement of your degree.

You clearly don't.

As far as my piece of paper diploma, sure it means nothing. The education behind it and the license from it do mean something. It does not invalidate anyone else's education. One does not need a doctoral degree to understand basic research/science; it does take desire to read it and educate oneself.

Posting incorrect and/or ignorant information does a good job of that.

Sent from my iPhone.

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Specializes in Pediatrics, Emergency, Trauma.
If you understood, you would not support the quarantine. And before you attack me too, I work with LPNs and feel many of them are more intelligent than some of the RNs I work with, and I am an educator in an LPN program. Quarantining an ASYMPTOMATIC individual has NO BASIS IN FACT - it's all about making people feel safer, not actually making them any safer.

YES!!!

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Specializes in Telemetry, IMCU.
If you understood, you would not support the quarantine. And before you attack me too, I work with LPNs and feel many of them are more intelligent than some of the RNs I work with, and I am an educator in an LPN program. Quarantining an ASYMPTOMATIC individual has NO BASIS IN FACT - it's all about making people feel safer, not actually making them any safer.

I don't care to attack people who really don't care to speak in an unbiased, educated manner. Flexing your heroism and acting like we're uneducated without knowing us? Nah, no time for that.

Be well.

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Specializes in Telemetry, IMCU.
You clearly don't.

As far as my piece of paper diploma, sure it means nothing. The education behind it and the license from it do mean something. It does not invalidate anyone else's education. One does not need a doctoral degree to understand basic research/science; it does take desire to read it and educate oneself.

Posting incorrect and/or ignorant information does a good job of that.

Sent from my iPhone.

Sure, doctor. You keep your beliefs and opinions and I'll keep mine. Agree to disagree. I'm done with this. My choice still stands, but I'm gonna accept that when my opinion doesn't sit well with others, I'm the first one attacked. So be it.

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Specializes in FNP, ONP.
It's not all about you, sorry to say.

Correct. We are in agreement. It is about SCIENCE. It is about EVIDENCE. As professionals of science, we rely on evidence and avoid pandering to the widespread public ignorance and fear. We will continue to attempt to EDUCATE. I trust once you become adequately informed regarding the specifics of Ebola transmission and the circumstances that warrant quarantine, that you too will try to educate those whom you come into contact and voice misunderstandings based on fear and media hype.

If the CDC were to require a quarantine from you, then fight away,

Oh, were you under the impression that the CDC or the WHO were in favor of quarantine? Then I completely understand your confusion on this issue! No wonder! I believe Boston cleared up that misunderstanding above. I trust we are all in agreement now.

but that just shows how selfish you are. Both of you. Keep going to Africa/Asia, more power to you, but again,

Yes of course we will continue to go, it is the highlight of our year. Perhaps repeatedly indulging in a family activity that offers so much education and diversity of experience for each of us could be construed as selfish. I suppose one could pose the argument that we need to stay stateside, earning and consuming at all times, since those are clearly the predominant values of Americans. I can't help but think that given the circumstances, that would be a somewhat unfortunate position, and I can't embrace it.

for you to fight AGAINST something so basic, your DNP just stands for "Do Not Practice".

Again, there seems to be misunderstand about the crux of this debate. This is not about any disagreement I have with the science. In fact, I do not disagree with the evidence. Frankly, not being an epidemiologist myself, I am not really qualified to do so. However, I do have a MS in statistics, and having read the statistical data I agree that interpretation is sound. I fight FOR understanding and implementation of basic scientific principles, not against. As for the DNP, while I'm naturally proud of the achievement and the work that went into it, I readily admit that my areas of expertise are limited to Internal and Sports Medicine, alas, and not Global Health. Therefore, the fact that I am doctorally prepared does not make me nearly as expert on Ebola as, for instance, CDC officials or Kaci Hickox, who holds a MHP from one of, if not the finest Public Health program in the country. I defer to their superior knowledge and experience. If an Ebola patient tears his or her ACL on the way to the commode, I'm your man. ;-)

On the subject of illegal detainment, Naturally, I would, hypothetically, fight for myself if someone tried to hold me against my will without appropriate rationale. That just goes without saying for most Americans, I would think. I am not a licensed attorney and not a constitutional scholar by any means, but I do have a basic grasp of the great writ, and fortunately, could procure appropriate representation if necessary.

Regarding your comment: "but I'm gonna accept that when my opinion doesn't sit well with others, I'm the first one attacked."

Now, now, there is no room for hyperbole. We both know better. I have referred to many before you as being ignorant of the facts and unqualified to evaluate them and make decrees about public health policy. That isn't an attack, it is fact. So neither contention is really true, is it? I do agree that you are absolutely entitled to hold an opinion, but with respect, please understand that as it is devoid of scientific reasoning, few knowledgeable people will take it seriously.

Regards,

Dr. Devil

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Specializes in Adult Internal Medicine.
Sure, doctor. You keep your beliefs and opinions and I'll keep mine. Agree to disagree. I'm done with this. My choice still stands, but I'm gonna accept that when my opinion doesn't sit well with others, I'm the first one attacked. So be it.

You can appreciate the difference between belief/opinion and scientific fact/EBP right?

And you were not "attacked", your position was questioned. Your retort was a slew of personal/defensive rants.

Sent from my iPhone.

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