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scenario:
h5n1 (the bird flu) mutates to become efficient at transmitting human to human causing a pandemic, with a case fatality rate of 60% and with 80% of the cases in the 0-40 year old age range.
hospitals will be quickly overrun. hospital staff shortages are 50%. the government orders all nurses to work. there is not enough personal protection equipment (n95 masks, gloves, goggles, tamiflu, vax, etc)
home quarantines become common (in the fed plans).
your family is also quarantined in your home. you are running out of food and the government promises you will be "taken care of" if you report to work.
Thanks for the link.....yes, I did see it a while ago and forgot where it was. :imbar.
Still a question. Does every state have their own "set of rules" reguarding working during an infectious disease outbreak? I would like to believe most of us would report to work AS LONG AS APPROPRIATE PPE were available. This is my sticking point.
Specializes in LTC, CPR instructor, First aid instructor..
EMTs and Paramedics face danger every day. They are required to respond to calls if available. We were taught that if there was a HAZMAT call, and the victim was trapped, to stay upwind and not to help the victim unless it was deemed safe to do so. How is it any different in nursing? Government has proven time and time again it doesn't live up to its promises; just like your place of employment doesn't cover you fully if there's a lawsuit. So as much as I love to help people, I would vote no in this case. PS...but since I do have a compromising disease anyway, I would be one of the first ones to die, so would be no good anyway.
Specializes in LTC, CPR instructor, First aid instructor..
for those thinking that individuals prepare, what the heck can we do? i got my annual flu shot, i already avoid crowds because i live in chicken fart, ny, and we have canned goods in.
i love this post. and i live in possom holler, pa. seriously though, do we not remember when the sars epidemic hit canada and had originated in taiwan? several nurses who put their lives on the line to care for the critically ill, and caught it. so so solly, but self-preservation prevails.
Specializes in Gyn Onc, OB, L&D, HH/Hospice/Palliative.
NO!!, I am suppose to believe promises from the government?????? Will they promise me I will live through it??? I'll be with my dh and kids, thanks anyway.........
It is a fascinating read. I implore all here to write to her and ask her help in securing Proper PPE and guidelines for nurses dealing with Pandemic Flu.
Rebecca M. Patton, MSN, RN, CNOR
Rebecca M. Patton MSN, RN, CNOR, of Lakewood, Ohio was elected to serve a two-year term as president of the American Nurses Association in June 2006. ANA is the nation's largest professional nursing organization representing the major health policy, practice, and workplace issues of 2.9 million registered nurses (RNs) in the United States. A nurse since 1980, Patton was most recently the Director of periOperative Services for EMH Regional Healthcare System in Cleveland, Ohio. She is also a member of the Editorial Board of OJIN: Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, and has written chapters for books on medical-surgical nursing and articles for nursing journals. Patton has a Bachelors of Science in nursing from Kent State University and a Masters of Nursing from Case Western Reserve University. She has held numerous ANA positions including treasurer (1998-2002), Board of Directors member (1994-1998), and delegate to the ANA House of Delegates (2003-2005).
I read the blog, and the ideas for preparedness are very good. There is a concern on my part though. Do we have enough time? I know for a fact that the foreign countries that dealt with pandemics in the recent past did not tell us all. They didn't report how many healthcare personnel died, which is definitely a concern. The most news we received in the US was how well cared for the victims were and I have no doubt that they were. But we ourselves just got through a severe flu outbreak. Thankfully, even though I am chronically ill, I did all I could do. I stayed home and only went to my appts, and took my meds as ordered via the help where I live.
My real concern is the people in the military. If the medical personnel doesn't show up for work, then the reserves will be called in. Just like they were during the 911 attack clean-up, etc. I often wonder how many of them now have cancer or chronic respiratory diseases.
Specializes in LTC, CPR instructor, First aid instructor..
OK, I think that WAY too many people have watched the Mad Max films. Take a look at the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918. This is a pretty good model for a worst-case pandemic. Transmission rates of up to 50%. Mortality rates of 2-20%. Total dead worldwide 50-100 million. And yet we didn't have lawless bands of nomads wandering across some post-apocalyptic wasteland. Read the wikipedia article if you want details.
A pandemic on the order of 1918 would be bad, yes. It would certainly have far reaching consequences on the economy. But get a grip people - Lord Humungus is not coming for your oil.
I lived with a family who's male HOH said his mom treated a lot of people when that came around, and she put a block of camphor around everyone's necks. None of her family members got it, and neither did she. The doctor at the time told her she was saving more people than he was and told her to keep up the good work. I used to put Vicks vaporub on my chest when I got sick, but am not able to breathe camphor due to my current illnesses. Oh well, it's just flesh that's gonna go sometime, anyway.
H5N1 (the bird flu) mutates to become efficient at transmitting Human to human causing a Pandemic, with a case fatality rate of 60% and with 80% of the cases in the 0-40 year old age range.
Hospitals will be quickly overrun. Hospital staff shortages are 50%. The Government orders all nurses to work. There is not enough Personal Protection Equipment (N95 masks, gloves, goggles, tamiflu, vax, etc)
Home quarantines become common (in the Fed plans).
Your family is also quarantined in your home. You are running out of food and the Government promises you will be "taken care of" if you report to work.
Will you go?
My family is quarantine and they are ordering me to break quarantine to go tho work? Now what happens if I decide not to break the government ordered quarantine do they arrest me? It would have to be house arrest because we are quarantined.
I guess it doesn't matter much one way or another since 60% are going to die anyway and there will be only 20% under age 40 left. Actually if my family is quarantined that would be me since I do not live with any other family members. Guess that means I have the flu. Nope I do not report to work in that case.
With all due respect indigogirl I know this is a passion of yours. Your long running post on the research you do shows that. However, I just can't get excited over hysterical speculations of what might happen some day. If it happen I will deal with it then in what ever way seems appropriate at the time.
It is unlikely IMHO that the senerio presented here will be even close to the actual senerio.
I have been in Gov service. All of the disaster end of life as we know it senerio that we played out were pure fantastic speculation of what might be worse case.
The stories were all made up in the imagination.
You can execute me for all I care. It it really comes to what you describe, cause there is not going to be much to live for is there?
I posted an article in the breakroom of the hospital about this very thing. I was trying to light a fire and get people to think about the possibility of a pandemic and exactly what would be expected of us nurses. I wanted them to question our administration and infection control dept. and see what kind of game plan was in the makes.
I used to say yws to this ? even b/4 I became a nurse until after I got to know what the government did to the world trade center volunteers. Now my answer is NO!
gr8hart
17 Posts
Thanks for the link.....yes, I did see it a while ago and forgot where it was. :imbar.
Still a question. Does every state have their own "set of rules" reguarding working during an infectious disease outbreak? I would like to believe most of us would report to work AS LONG AS APPROPRIATE PPE were available. This is my sticking point.