Recently the first case of Ebola diagnosed in the United States occcured in Dallas. Although I am not working at the hospital where the patient was diagnosed and cared for, I am working at a hospital just outside of the city. After news of the diagnosis broke, people throughout the city began to express fear of contracting the virus.
Although no one wants to have to respond to the threat of a contagious virus, it has been a very interesting experience for me to see how my hospital has reponded to the news and how the CDC has worked with hospitals throughout Dallas to help us prepare in the rare chance a patient with Ebola comes to us in need of care.
One way my hospital has responded is to help educate employees on proper PPE in caring for patients in an isolation setting. Many media sources speculate that care givers most often contract the virus when removing their PPE, rather than while directly preparing care. In addition to this, the hospital also provided additional training to employees to help them feel confident about their ability to safely care for patients.
I have learned from living through this process that as important as it is to provide optimal care to patients, healthcare organizations must also care for their employees. By equipping employees with the right tools and knowledge to care for their patients, they will continue coming to work and will feel confident in their ability to care for all patients who come through their doors.
Erin