Introduction
Over the past half century, humanity has faced two incredibly dangerous medical problems that have caused massive losses and stirred the public. There are certain similarities and differences between the 1980’s HIV/AIDS epidemic and the recent COVID-19 pandemic, especially concerning the concepts of allyship, compassionate care, challenging environments, fear, health equity, innovation, and leadership. The purpose of this paper is to discuss these similarities and the role of nurses.
Comparing the Role of Nurses During the 1980s HIV/AIDS Epidemic and the COVID-19 Pandemic
To begin with, in the 1980s and early 2020, the government failed to respond promptly to the emerging public health threats, which shows certain issues in leadership. According to Wiener (2020), President Ronald Reagan even avoided using the appropriate terms for an extended period of time, while President Donald Trump made statements denying the presence of the pandemic. However, communities united quickly to support others, and this sense of allyship helped in both emergencies and increased innovation in the efforts to end the crises (Williams, 2020).
Extreme public fear is another similarity between the pandemics, as “HIV messages triggered fear and victim blaming and highlighted behaviors of a few marginalized groups as deviant” (Taggart et al., 2021, p. e376). Having to work in challenging environments, some medical workers refused to treat patients with HIV/AIDS, but during the coronavirus, compassionate care was more common (Williams, 2020). Unfortunately, equity of care could have been much better in both crises, as disadvantaged groups, such as racial minorities, failed to access quality medical help.
As for the nursing response, it was mostly positive and impactful in the 1980s and after COVID-19 began. Although some nurses decided to leave their positions, others demonstrated great commitment, working extra hours and in challenging conditions (Ortega et al., 2022). They also played a significant role in preventing the spread of misinformation by educating their patients. Concerning the impact of politics, it can both define and limit nursing roles. For example, while certain legislation can expand nursing influence in patient advocacy, in some states, these medical professionals are not allowed to practice independently.
Conclusion
To conclude, numerous similarities are found between the 1980’s HIV/AIDS epidemic and the recent coronavirus crisis. They should be taken into close consideration to avoid allowing such mistakes to happen in the future. Although there were community allyships and nurses demonstrating compassionate care in both situations, a lack of prompt governmental response, reduced equity of care, and hardly controlled public fear prove the need for more effective guidelines and strategies.
References
Ortiga, Y. Y., Diño, M. J., & Macabasag, R. L. A. (2022). Clocking out: Nurses refusing to work in a time of pandemic. Social Science & Medicine, 305. Web.
Taggart, T., Ritchwood, T. D., Nyhan, K., & Ransome, Y. (2021). Messaging matters: Achieving equity in the HIV response through public health communication. The Lancet HIV, 8(6), e376-e386. Web.
Wiener, S. (2020). Opinion | The coronavirus and HIV: Different pandemics with the same lessons. BuzzFeed News. Web.
Williams, J. P. (2020). For those who’ve lived both, COVID-19 carries echoes of the early AIDS crisis. U.S. News. Web.
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