From Florence Nightingale in the Crimean War to Fatu Kekra, who helps treat Ebola patients in Liberia, nurses have been at the forefront of any medical crisis. They are important links to healthcare systems that not only help people return to good health, but also provide the greatest support to the sick family.
Especially during this pandemic, the role of nurses has changed with great responsibility and many challenges. A typical day of nurse life at the forefront of the Covid War is full of great uncertainty and constant marathons. Every shift can be serious, refreshing, fatigued, vital, or all of the above. At any time, nurses can see people in the weakest and most vulnerable positions, or in the strongest and most determined times. In addition, a single violation in infection prevention practices is any patient, especially for critical Covid patients whose immunity is weakened, especially considering the use of steroids, elevated blood sugar levels, and the use of immune-suppressing drugs. Can cause life-threatening infections. The nurse acts as an advocate for the patient, ensuring that the right treatment reaches the patient in the right way. They witness the consequences of end-of-life injuries and illnesses with regularity that makes them the norm for the course. But this is just the tip of the iceberg.
The stories and experiences nurses have experienced since the pandemic are unparalleled, but the lessons learned remain here.
Lessons from the pandemic: The Covid-19 pandemic puts the entire healthcare community in trial mode. A test that tests the endurance and resilience of all healthcare providers. Nurses were no exception. There were many challenges. But in these challenges, healthcare has transformed itself to meet the dynamic needs of the community. Implemented infrastructure and process changes such as special isolation unit creation, negative pressure areas, availability and efficient use of personnel and PPE, frequent simulation training, patient flow management training, and smooth even in the most extreme situations Are dealing with.
Important role in emergency care: Nurses are an integral part of the disaster management team. They triage patients on arrival, requiring correct knowledge and critical thinking, and according to her assessment, doctors treat patients in need of urgent attention and treatment first. I will. Nurses are essential in mobilizing resources, ensuring adequate patient monitoring and providing adequate care to poor patients. Nurses are also a key part of decision making when it comes to risk mitigation.
Resilience building: Doctors and nurses have been enthusiastic about various crisis situations for many years, but their true value became apparent after the pandemic. Each young doctor and nurse, despite being overwhelmed by stress and anxiety, sometimes witnesses death, infects himself, and even communicates to his family at work. I haven’t stopped returning.
Nurses are beginning to play a greater role when it comes to patient care in the Covid-19 unit. Frequent rounds and monitoring, ensuring that patients receive food and medication 24 hours a day, risk prevention and mitigation, seeing a doctor and following specific instructions, collecting blood samples, escalating warning signs, etc. Puts the nurse on a higher responsibility and accountability pedestal.
The biggest challenge we faced was the flexibility to change protocols, train nurses, and wear PPE for hours. The fear of infecting or infecting nearby or loved ones has increased tension and anxiety. Despite these, they did not lose their spirit, they had to continue. This was one of the biggest medical crises the country faced for many years. Most hospitals have infection control units, but they are still not prepared for a crisis of this magnitude. They needed to be familiar with learning and help others learn. They exacerbated the situation with relatives of patients who were not even sure they would meet their people again and those who were very frightened, the burden of short staff, and limited resources. That said, the lessons from the pandemic are empowering them too.
Role of Nursing Head in Infection Control: Infection prevention and control has become a priority for medical staff in all areas of clinical practice. Nursing staff has become an important link in infection control. They had to develop a new protocol and update their skills accordingly. This is done by providing patient isolation according to clinical status, creation of Covid-19 positive and suspicious case isolation units, all medical staff, skilled personnel and resources, and all healthcare professionals. It features prevention, nutritious foods, and psychological support that include ensuring adequate availability for the well-being of healthcare professionals. Therefore, this is part of the standard operating procedure (SOP) planning and establishment. The next step is the implementation of preparation, including infrastructure and inventory planning to ensure that all patients receive the medication and oxygen or ventilator support they need. Everyone entering the Covid unit had to follow strict protocols.
Nurses have greater responsibility in epidemiological studies. They are trained to participate in epidemiological studies as part of a community health nursing program. In many ways, it indirectly contributes to the understanding of epidemics, which are important elements of disease management. But in the future, roles and responsibilities will increase. During this pandemic, nurses are already involved in data collection and analysis, understanding disease patterns and peaks. They identify and investigate problems, formulate causative factors and alternative interventions, implement them to prevent and control problems, and assess the effectiveness of interventions. They participate in data collection, data analysis, planning, implementation, and evaluation. They play an active role in the prevention and management of infectious diseases, including:
- Identify the source of the infection and how it spreads
- Health education for the general public
- Covid-19 Notice to Health Authorities
- Teach and supervise other workers in surveillance activities
(Minimole Varghese is the Chief Nursing Officer of Fortis Hospital in Mulund, and Mohini Chandrashekhar is the Chief Nursing Officer of Fortis Associate Hiranandani Hospital Vashi. The expressed views are personal.)
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