As patients get sick and they start to worry about the possibility of having Covid-19, they seek help from their Primary Care Doctors and clinics. Health care workers on the front lines expect to treat patients with Covid-19, many health care systems and many states are reported to be unprepared. Nurses accept risks as part of their daily work with patients and families, as do ER physicians, nurses’ aides, paramedics, physical and occupational therapists, and other health care workers such as Pharmacists who are on the front lines. But what degree of risks should they accept when resources are limited or not available?
health care workers often don’t receive the equipment and training they need, or they use the equipment improperly. How can they protect themselves?
More than 3,000 health care workers in China have been infected with the coronavirus, and their colleagues must care for them, but they must feel distress and have fear that the systems are not providing them with enough support. Health care workers also have to think about protecting their own families once they go home.
A recent nursing survey exposed the worries that nurses share about Covid-19: About half didn’t have information on how to recognize or respond to Covid-19, about one in four didn’t know if a plan was in place to isolate Covid-19 patients, and only about two-thirds reported having access to N95 masks. And, many didn’t know if there was a policy in place for co-workers who were sick or otherwise exposed to Covid-19. We need to do better.
As ambulatory care Pharmacist we also come in contact with the highest risks patients and like all health care workers, we must think about how to not only protect the patients but for ourselves as well. Making sure we have the supplies necessary to keep ourselves safe is paramount. In many cases, lack of masks and even gloves are worrisome circumstances that as health workers we need to deal with.
The public has been asked to save masks for health care workers. Why do health care workers need masks, but the public has been told they’re not helpful?
There are no data to suggest that for regular people who are not sick, wearing a mask in public will do anything to reduce exposure to the virus. But, for health care workers, we need this workforce to stay healthy and prevent transmission to other, vulnerable patients. There are already reports of potential shortages in particular areas, so we have to be really thoughtful about how we use the supply that we have. The best use right now is for health care workers who have to go patient-to-patient and who, in the long run, will have to care for sick patients for months and months.
What kind of equipment keeps health care workers safe?
The most important thing is to wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water. Use a hand gel with 60% or higher alcohol concentration if soap and water aren’t available. For appropriate respiratory protection, the current recommendation from CDC is for health care workers to wear a gown, gloves, N-95 or higher-level respirator, and eye protection for patients with presumed or confirmed COVID-19. After removing the equipment carefully to avoid contamination, wash hands again. Unless you are told otherwise by the CDC, reusing personal protective equipment is not recommended.
How can patients safely interact with health care providers?
The most important thing a patient can do is alert the health care team they’re having respiratory symptoms immediately. The health care provider can put a mask on the patient, apply their own equipment, and alert the rest of the health care team.
As health care workers, many times we ourselves fall on the highest risk group. Having the necessary equipment, being educated on how to use equipment properly, protocols and guidance are extremely important to keep our health care work force healthy. Pharmacist are part of the health care workforce, we often interact face to face with patients, we need to know how to protect ourselves while taking care of our patients.
We can also help educate patients about the best ways to stay healthy, the importance of following the guidance from the CDC and the importance of making sure health care workers have access to the equipment they need. Patients do not need to wear masks, as they do not protect them. It is more important for them to wash their hands often and practice social isolation.
