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• 1 2020-04-13T10:08:09-07:00 Nurses on the front lines (Claire Lanko) 38 plain 2020-04-28T11:14:10-07:00

  
  Fact Check Source:
  James G. Adams, "Supporting the Health Care Workforce During the COVID-19 Global Epidemic"

  This page dives deeper into the perspective of nurses specifically in America during this global pandemic of the virus Covid-19. Covid-19 is a highly contagious virus that attacks the respiratory system. Most deaths are due to old age or existing conditions in the patient.  Nurses are at the front lines of this pandemic caring for the infected. They are used to work rigorous and grueling hours with limited Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). Due to the virus being global, PPE is a limited resource at the moment, putting nurses at higher risk. 

  Looking Deeper: 

  In order to better understand the claims made in this article, I have done research into five facts about the effects of the coronavirus that directly affects nurses.

   "While the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates global mortality at 3.4%, South Korea has noted mortality of about 0.6%."

  I looked into this fact since I knew it would be different from when it was posted. As the infected increases and work load on nurses increases, it is expected that the death rate would increase. When World Health Organization posted this it was March 3, 2020. Now on April 26, 2020 the calculated global mortality rate is 6.9% according to many sources collected by Google.

  "Adherence to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) recommended guidelines advances safety.⁵ SARS-CoV-2 is spread by droplet and contact."

  This fact interested me because there was many different ideas being passed around on the news. I heard in past the virus is spread through direct contact, surfaces, or it could be airborne. According to the World Health Organization this fact has been confirmed. The form of transfer of the Covid-19 virus is through droplets coming within three feet. Confirming the nessesity of PPE to all working with patients.

  "To ensure minimal risk of infection when treating patients with COVID-19, the CDC recommends the use of personal protective equipment including a gown, gloves, and either an N95 respirator plus a face shield/goggles or a powered, air-purifying respirator (PAPR). "

  After fact checking the source used, the CDC, I looked further. The CDC does recommend the use of N-95 mask but only for heath care workers. The rest of the general public is recommended to use cloth masks since there is a shortage in N-95 masks. I found this fact interesting because  it is common knowledge that N-95 are the best mask for protection, but the public recommendation is not recognized commonly.

   "Hospital personnel, including caregivers, support staff, administration, and preparedness teams, all will be stressed by the challenges of a prolonged response to COVID-19..."

  That fact of the matter is all of the medical workers are most likely stressed and overwhelmed. According the Sydni Lane in her Instagram post she mentioned she broke down and cried from exhaustion and defeat. She is just one example of the many health care workers that are completely stressed from this pandemic.

  "  Avoiding travel and crowds may also decrease risk of infection. "

  Right now people might not want to believe this fact, since it means they still should stay home. Even though no one wants to stay home right now the CDC says this fact is correct. Following this is expected to flatten the cure to better support hospitals. 
  

   

  Analytic Essay

  On the Frontlines: Nurse's Perspectives on COVID-19

   

   

  “Covid-19 cases worldwide reach over One Million” “ A big thanks to all our essential workers and medical workers fighting the front lines of this virus” are common phrases on our technology and social media right now. One of the most dedicated workers during this global pandemic are medical providers, more specifically, nurses. Nurses during this time are signed up for grueling hours and painful shifts. They leave work with sore feet and bruised faces. There are many people who reply to nurses’ plea to follow social distancing by saying “you signed up for this when you became a nurse”. It is important to understand and have respect for all essential workers, but especially nurses who risk their lives.

  One nurse named Sydni Lane has been an ER nurse for four years. She got her nursing degree from the University of Iowa and she now works at Mercy Cedar Rapids Surgical Center. In a post Sydni recently made on her Instagram she talks about her current worries as a nurse on the frontlines of this virus. Many nurses are speaking out about their situations. Some hope this will encourage people to stay home. The “Flatten the Curve” movement (phrase said to encourage lowering the infected amount of people in order to not overload hospital capacities), as well as the “Stay at Home” movement, have been commonly used to do just that. The importance of it all is to lighten the load from hospitals and their workers just like Sydni. One writer on a site called Medium said

  “Exhausted healthcare workers will break down. Some will die. They will have to decide which patient gets the oxygen and which one dies. The only way to prevent this is social distancing today. Not tomorrow. Today  (Pueyo)”.

  All medical workers are facing extreme working conditions. Sydni also mentions on the day of the post she broke down and cried because of exhaustion and defeat. Nurses all over the globe are facing the same struggle that Sydni is. While they are fighting for the health of our loved ones they ask everyone to stay home to protect them. No worker signed up to work 13-hour shifts the day before working a 12.5-hour shift like Syndi shares that she did. Nurses are feeling underappreciated and overworked if they resonate with Sydni at all. 

  Another issue in nurses' positions currently is safety. American hospitals were not ready to fight a virus of this magnitude. Due to this they are being faced with a lack of protection. The CDC encourages the public to not use medical masks for their personal protection since hospitals have shortages. Sydni talks about her N-95 mask in her post. She says

  “Because my face hurts after wearing an N-95 mask for 13 … hours, which happens to be the same N-95 mask I wore yesterday for 12.5 hours, and the same one from all last week” (Lane Post).

  Sydni is conveying she is afraid. She is a mother of two young girls and the wife to a man that suffers from asthma. Asthma is a condition that has caused common fatality when contracting COVID-19, she is fearful for her husband's life. She is not alone in her worry. Spoken in a winter conference about COVID-19 and medical staff

  “Contact tracing for exposure to a case of COVID-19 is no longer routinely recommended, so health care workers must consider themselves at elevated risk of exposure”(Adams).

  Nurses on duty are constantly at high risk for exposure. While fighting for others' safety they should not have to fear for their own. 

  World wide, nurses are facing the front lines of this virus for the safety of others. Fear is something everyone knows well as we face this global pandemic. While that is the case those who are put under constant contact with virus carriers should not have to fear their safety or the safety of their families. As well as they should be appreciated for the hard work and hours they are contributing to saving lives. In closing, to Sydni Lane and all nurses or medical care providers, thank you for your hard work from all of Michigan State's HPS 133 class.

  
  On March 6, 2020, ER Nurse Sydni Lane posted on her Instagram page to speak up about the struggles she is facing as an essential worker fighter a global pandemic. S.L. Post

  
  References

  
  
  Adams, J., Walls, R. (2020, March 12). Supporting the Health Care Workforce During the COVID-19 Global Epidemic. JAMA Network Retrieved from https://jamanetwork.com/
  
  Coronavirus (COVID-19). (n.d.). Retrieved from https://news.google.com/covid19/map?hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US:en
  
  Coronavirus and Travel in the United States. (2020, April 23). Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/travel-in-the-us.html
  
  Emily Bryant, BSN, RN (April 8, 2020). Nurse Pens Open Letter To COVID-19 Patient's Family and It Will Break Your Heart. https://nurse.org/articles/nurses-letter-to-covid-19-patient-family-stay-home/
  
  F. Rico, E. Salari and G. Centeno, ( 2007) "Emergency departments nurse allocation to face a pandemic influenza outbreak," 2007 Winter Simulation Conference, Washington, DC, 2007. 

  Lane, Sydni (2020, March 27). [ Nurse post-work face photo]. https://www.instagram.com/p/B-OGaGOn0D1/?igshid=rhufwb951ems

  Modes of transmission of virus causing COVID-19: implications for IPC precaution recommendations. (2020, March 28). Retrieved from https://www.who.int 
  
  Pueyo, T. (2020, March 10). Coronavirus: Why You Must Act Now. Retrieved from https://medium.com/@tomaspueyo/coronavirus-act-today-or-people-will-die-f4d3d9cd99ca
  
  Recommendation Regarding the Use of Cloth Face Coverings. (2020, April 3). Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/cloth-face-cover.html