PICOT Question: Are people in the medical field using enough equipment to protect themselves against disease compared to the years before the spread of Covid-19, and how does this affect their protection against infectious diseases?
Referring to the results of numerous studies on the use of disease protection equipment amongst medical staff, disease control is vital in limiting oneself from possible health problems. Above all, this is done with the aim of spreading diseases as little as possible, as well as preventing potential problems (Chen et al., 2020). For the best possible protection, it is necessary to continuously take tests from both patients and staff in order to have an overview of the incidence of diseases in the health care facility and for further analysis. In addition to collecting materials for disease identification, preventive measures such as room ventilation and thorough hand washing should be taken. This will allow for a safer working environment and reduce the spread of disease throughout the hospital.
Basic safety protocols should also be followed when dealing with any disease. These include wearing special clothing, social distance from patients if the examination does not involve this, and the careful treatment of surfaces with which the ill person comes into contact (Kuhar et al., 2018). In combination with the measures listed above, this gives the highest degree of protection against all kinds of diseases and makes it possible to expect an improvement in further examinations of patients.
When talking about nursing, we have to take into consideration the fact that their job involves working with sick people, which makes it the riskiest occupation in health care services. Many nurses follow good personal hygiene and safety rules when working with patients, but often these steps are not enough due to the nature of the profession (Cheng et al., 2020). In order to improve the safety of employees in the healthcare industry, more training and personal study materials should be made available. In addition, safety procedures need to be monitored more carefully, as, over time, these principles are neglected, and nurses risk becoming ill when in close contact with patients.
When comparing this period in the history of the medical field to that of a few years ago, before the advent of the Covid-19 pandemic, it can be said that significant progress has been made in the safety of health care professionals. Doctors and nurses alike have become more attentive to personal hygiene and safety, wearing masks and special suits when working with ill people, which has reduced the risk of disease spread to a minimum. This approach to safety could be called a benchmark, as it was observed not only by medical staff but also by patients who feared for the lives of others. This disease was an example of how important it is to follow safety principles in treating patients and limiting the spread of any disease. It is also essential that the world has recently been confronted with an even more significant number of conditions that have not yet been thoroughly investigated. It is impossible to prepare for some of them from a safety point of view. Therefore, even basic safety principles can help protect employees against new diseases, as practice shows that the simplest safety methods are often the most effective. All the more so when it comes to employees whose job is to deal directly with sick people, namely nurses.
References
Chen, X., Tian, J., Li, G., & Li, G. (2020). Initiation of a new infection management system for any COVID 19 break out. The Lancet Transmittable Diseases, 20(4), 397-398.
Cheng, V. C., Wong, S. C., To, K. K., Ho, P. L., & Yuen, K. Y. (2020). Readiness as well as intense disease control procedures compared to the arising novel coronavirus in China. Journal of Health Center Infection, 104(3), 254 255.
Kuhar, D., Pollock, D., Yokoe, D., Howell, M., & Chopra, V. (2018). Healthcare infection control practices consultatory committee (HICPAC). 2018.