Description
2 replies to other students or the instructor’s responses. Be constructive and professional in your responses. Minimum of 120 words per reply and one APA reference.
Response 1
The Covid-19 Dilemma that occurred during Covid 19 pandemic in my hospital and many other facilities, like nursing homes and assisted living facilities. This was the Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), mainly using our masks, which was one of the biggest fears that we would run out of our N-95, facial, and surgical masks. And in the hospital person to-person infection through droplet transmission, we were extremely worried we would have to reuse masks repeatedly. And as we all know, Coronavirus was spread through coughing or sneezing and direct contact with anyone affected. (Feng et al., 2022). The HCA Organization as there was a shortage of PPE and N95 masks, the World Health Organization stated that the surgical masks were just as effective as the N95 masks during the pandemic shortage. As a nurse, we would hear many complaints of not being able to breathe with the masks on, stating that their oxygenation was altered while wearing the N95 masks; of course, some were very Claustrophobic, and yes, high anxiety would make it difficult. Of course, our patients were all scared of contracting the virus, as we all were.
As nurses working during the COVID-19 pandemic, many nurses and community members had more mental issues, as the increased psychological problems were rising fast throughout this community. And among the changes throughout the community, our practices in the hospital, with elective surgeries, were canceled. Surgical procedures were restricted with conditions ( Unver& Cansu Yenigun, 2021), only allowing required surgeries, while most of the staff in the hospital was tasked out to other units throughout the 222-bed acute care facility.
Furthermore, as a healthcare facility, we all faced many ethical dilemmas of doing our duty to the best we can during the Covid-19 Pandemic; with PPEs, and the patients did not receive surgeries that needed to be done but were not life-threatening, having to put off until WHO allowed the surgical units to re-open back to business as usual. Regulatory consideration was followed as the Covid -19 was full of high demands on the medical staff to assess who was more critical, who was not to be admitted to the hospital, and who was sent home with medication.
References
Lv, F., Xiong, Q., Min, Su., Chen, J., Ren, L., Zhu, Z., Shen, Y., Huang, F., Hu, J.,& Li, J. (2022). Safety and
Comfort of Wearing Medical Masks and Adult Surgical Patients After General Anesthesia During the
COVID-19 Epidemic: A Retrospective, Observational Cohort Study. Journal of Paranesthesia Nursing,
37,(p.351-356). www.jopan.org
Unver, S., & Cansu Yenigun, S.(2021).Covid- 19 Fear Level of Surgical Nurses Working in the Pandemic and
Surgical Units. Journal of Paranesthesia Nursing, 36,(p.711-716). www.jopan.org
Response 2
In my practice as an ICU nurse, I encounter ethics and legal considerations almost weekly. Since most patients that are admitted into the ICU are in critical health, the conversation involving changing code status is often visited. Although in other floors it is a common subject, code status changing is most often discussed in the ICU. The nurses role during this conversation is to assist and include the patients, family, and healthcare team members involved in the process of making informed choices like do-not-resuscitate orders. (ANA, 2014) It is important to notify the patient and family that these changes in the patients code status can be made at any time during their care journey. As the patient advocate, nurses play a vital role in the decision making process. While many can feel that care is different when DNR orders are in place, it is important to consider that, “Care for patients with do-not-resuscitate orders is no different from care for any other patient, including respect and advocacy for the patients’ preferences and values, promotion of well-being, and alleviation of suffering.” (ANA, 2014) Most importantly, following the Code of Ethics for Nurses is vitally important for not only establishing trust with the patient, but also showing respect for human dignity in relation to patient rights. Our goal as nurses is to promote and provide ethical care to all patients, and through honoring their DNR wishes, we can provide honest, patient-centered care at all times.
ANA Enterprise | American Nurses Association. (2014, November 25). ANA. https://www.nursingworld.org/
