Frontline Nurses
What have you learned from the frontlines of fighting the coronavirus that you most want policy makers, health care administrators and your bosses to know? If you were in charge, what is the first thing you would change to ensure we never go through this again?
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Responses
Respirators
There should be designated units within hospitals that are specifically prepared for a pandemic. In our unit we had a good stock of N95s, but they were so old that the straps were dry-rotted and snapped (and I hate to think about how effective they were at filtering since we made new straps and used them anyway until we rounded up as many PAPRs that could be found in the hospital). These units should have a PAPR for every nurse/CNA/respiratory therapist/doctor working there. There are many other things that could be improved, but being able to protect the staff should…
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Sharon Praigrod, BHSc, RN
So a month so ago I wrote a small piece that no paper I sent it to wanted to print. At the time I wrote it I was sad, upset, angry, and felt left out. So I thought that maybe this is the place to post it.
WE CARE TOO:
If I were to honest of how I feel every time I watch the news coverage of the Horror Story we are living through, I would say I am feeling demonized by most of the coverage concerning Nursing Homes.
The media and the public need…
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COVID-19 Changes
I find there have been almost equal changes to daily life both in and out of the hospital. Every shift, we are updated on policy changes, supplies/PPE status, COVID cases in the hospital/COVD mortalities/discharges, and availability of ECMO/CVVH/vents, etc. We have shut our doors to visitors in almost all circumstances and have only recently started to reopen floors like ortho that were changed to COVID units over the last two weeks.
In life outside the hospital, in the early days of COVID, I noticed an immense amount of support from the community and people in my…
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Now (5/31/20)
Now the wave has receded
Now we can breathe a sigh a relief
Now the weight has lifted
Now we look back and remember
Now we hope this is just a memory
Now we learn from the lives lost
Now we rebuild and reflect
Now the patients are recovering
Now we recognize each other in our superhero disguise
Now we laugh and smile
Now we are used to the new…
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A peek inside the ICU (4/3/20)
Everyday people ask "Is it better at the hospital?". This is question that is difficult to answer. Yes, admissions are down, yes the chaos has lulled but no it's not better. What is "better" anyway?
Entering the ICUs on a daily basis you are immersed in what COVID has created. Patients are "better" in a sense that they are more stable and will most likely be discharged instead of deceased, but again they aren't "better".
They lay there in their beds, unable to speak, move or breathe on their own. Tubes that…
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