admin note: we just added a poll to this thread today, april 25, 2008, please take a second and vote in the poll so we can have a graphical representation of the responses. thanks
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.
Some people said that if you did not have PPE you would be missing most other perishable supplies. Without those items (NS, Syringes, Linen, ...) RN's would not be anymore useful than laypersons in direct patient care.
I am just a student right now, but I volunteer at the hospital. I have young children, so my vote would be NO. With proper precautions once my children are older, probably. But right at this time in my life, I would not be rushing in to help even as a volunteer if the &%$ hit the fan.
Specializes in Psych, LTC, M/S, Supervisor, MRDD,.
Yes, as long as I know my family is at home safe and sound... I would probably just live at the hospital and do my duty until it passed...If it got that bad we'd all be dead anyways. Nurses have, in history, been the sacrificial lamb so to speak. We have been through plague, wars, etc. Someones gotta do it. I can't see me watching people suffer and not be there to assist.
not sure how valid this poll is, since I answered yes before reading the scenario given. So I'd have to say yes and no, yes until there are no more PPE's, then No.
I still don't see how we could run out of ppe before we run out of PIV's, briefs, dressing materials, in short most supplies necessary to need the ppe's at an RN level in the first place.
note more and more posters percentage wise are saying no, while the respondents are still 2/3'ds yes.
Dragonnurse1, ASN, RN
289 Posts
TellTeri
Yeah!!!! Good luck in school - I know that you will do good.
:cheers: and :rcgtku:
:hgu: