85% RN's say their hospital has not provided education on Ebola

[riverwalker]

http://www.nationalnursesunited.org/press/entry/u.s.-hospitals-fall-far-short-in-emergency-planning-as-first-ebola-case-rep

Nurses Call for Stepped Up Action in U.S. and Africa

◾More than 60 percent of RNs say their hospital is not prepared for the Ebola virus.
◾80 percent say their hospital has not communicated to them any policy regarding potential admission of patients infected by Ebola
◾85 percent say their hospital has not provided education on Ebola
◾30 percent say their hospital has insufficient supplies of eye protection (face shields or side shields with goggles) and fluid resistant gowns
◾65 percent say their hospital fails to reduce the number of patients they must care for to accommodate caring for an “isolation” patient

[valerief]

1. "We've got this under control."

[logosoco]

2. Hmmm....

we have hospitals that are not ready for an epidemic, a secret service agency that does not really protect the presidents house, a congress that is doing nothing for the people and schools that are just teaching to take the test.

I think I see a trend here.

[SheilaT]

3. In defense of the nurses and hospitals,

keep in mind that most of them anymore seem to be for-profit, and even the non-profit ones don't behave that way very much. Just like any other business they staff as minimally as possible. It is apparently standard for nurses (and probably the ER doctors) to work 12 hour shifts. It is my considered opinion that 12 hour shifts are a terrible idea, especially in a health-care setting.

So I am not surprised that most hospitals have not provided any Ebola education. And it shouldn't be just the nurses and doctors, it should be every single person in the hospital, including the janitors and the volunteers who work in the hospital gift shop.

I spent three and a half years working (part time) on the information desk in my city's only hospital. I theoretically didn't have direct patient contact, and I never actually touched a patient, but lots of people walked by my every single day. No I know that , at least so far, Ebola isn't an airborne virus and isn't likely to become one, but there needs to be a lot more education out there about exactly what to look for.

Additional note: There are probably no hospitals anywhere that are truly equipped to handle a massive outbreak of any contagious disease or real disaster. It's just not possible to build and staff hospitals for the worst possible scenarios, and what we have for the most part are hospitals built and staffed for the best possible scenario.

[riverwalker]

4. Where the f*&K is the CDC?

This is appalling. CDC needs to MANDATE NOW to every hospital in America to instruct ALL hospital personnel, nurses, MD's, lab, housekeeping, dietary, EVERYONE, on the hospital's dime (not a CYA, "here, read this new memo on your lunch break&quot REAL instructions and education. The hospitals will NOT do it on their own initiative, trust me. CDC MUST mandate and do it NOW.

[uppityperson]

5. Most hospitals can handle a couple infectious disease patients, but not a lot of them.

It would be good if they were to be better set up for ALL sorts of infectious diseases are out there.

The problem with ebola is not that it is more easily transmissible than other infectious diseases, but that the mortality rate is high. Treat them like someone with active TB, or some other infectious disease. But indeed, there needs to be better equipment, or rather for more patients overall.