From the Georgia Nurses Association
Since August, when we first heard that Ebola patients were being flown to Emory University Hospital for care, the Georgia Nurses Association has urged its members and all Georgia nurses to review and familiarize themselves with the CDC’s infectious disease guidelines and checklists. It is vital that nurses review these guidelines to ensure their safety and the safety of others in the immediate health care environment. We will continue to communicate this urgency.
GNA is concerned by the recent news that Texas nurse Nina Pham acquired Ebola while caring for a patient, despite wearing a protective suit and mask at her place of employment. We are hopeful for this nurse’s speedy, full recovery from this horrible disease, as the hospital staff works to provide the best care possible.
Health care delivery happens in a team setting, and all team members must be vigilant — nurses and doctors, aides and techs, hospital administrators and staff. We must seek out the latest information and evidence-based practices to respond to any emergency or infectious disease outbreak. Successfully containing this awful disease will require inter-professional collaboration and working in teams of nurses, physicians and other health care providers to properly treat and stop the spread of the disease. Health care facilities must also review their processes and continuously improve practices to ensure the safety of patients, the health care team and all involved.
From the American Nurses Association
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Oct. 12 that a nurse employed by Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas tested positive for Ebola. … The nurse was a member of the heath care team that provided care to Thomas Eric Duncan while he was in isolation in the hospital. Duncan, who traveled to Texas from Liberia, died from Ebola Oct. 8. The nurse wore full protective gear while caring for Duncan. CDC officials report that a breach in protocol may have occurred at some point. They are looking closely at high-risk procedures that were performed on Duncan.
We urge all hospitals and health care workers to engage in comprehensive education and preparedness activities to ensure the safety of the public and health care professionals. We have the utmost confidence health care providers are eager to take part in learning protocols that will protect health care workers and keep patients safe. However, it is essential that the CDC quickly investigate and fully share the findings surrounding the care of Thomas Eric Duncan to help health care providers understand any further precautions needed to prevent transmission of the disease. It is only through rapid review and learning from this situation that we will prevent further incidents from happening.
We will continue to work with the CDC and other health care agencies to accelerate the education of health care professionals about appropriate infection control and other protocols. ANA has shared CDC resources with its members, including instructions about how to put on and safely remove personal protective equipment.
