Quality and Safety in the time of COVID

The COVID-19 Virus has indeed had a significant impact which has led to the adjustment of work-life as a nurse. With the number of cases increasing rapidly each day, fears have intensified of the healthcare system becoming increasingly overwhelmed, similar to the situation being witnessed in countries such as Italy. Initially, the nurses` role was mainly to act as an assistor of the medical practitioner, however, the increased COVID-19 cases have necessitated that nurses get more accustomed to handling some cases individually, since the doctors are not capable of managing all the cases alone. It has reached a point where physicians are only concerned with catering for the most critical cases. The Registered Nurses Association has even requested for volunteers to assist in answering calls. In order to maintain quality and safety, nurses have also been forced to maintain high standards of hygiene through sanitization and around the clock donning of protective gear. Besides, the level of exhaustion experienced after each shift is distressing. 

One of the changes that is working is ensuring that people continuously sanitize their hands and also maintain social distancing. Moreover, the lockdown initiated by the government appears to have substantially managed the high rates of infections experienced previously, since individuals are not coming into contact with infected parties. This results in some of the moral lessons that other countries which have not yet reported cases of the virus can benefit from. First, it is very essential that any person upon arrival from a foreign nation regardless of whether it has reported any COVID-19 case should be quarantined. Secondly, people have to maintain social distancing to avoid coming into contact with the already infected parties. It is even more essential not to come into contact with the elderly people at home. This is mainly due to the fact that their immune system is not in a position to manage the danger posed by the virus. Elderly people are, therefore, more at risk. Also, in the event that one notices symptoms that point to COVID-19, it is imperative for them to notify the relevant authorities. Although the virus is turning difficult to control it would be important to invest more resources in future healthcare in order to ascertain a healthy nation. Cuba is a good example of a country which has consistently invested heavily in healthcare to an extent that it is now able to offer assistance to Italy where the situation appears to have spiraled out of control. There is, nevertheless, hope that in the near future, COVID-19 will be contained effectively.