Problem Statement
The unexpected emergence of the COVID 19 pandemic caused significant complications to the performance of the majority of hospitals across the country due to the lack of knowledge and unpreparedness for such kind of emergency. The problem identified at the clinical practice site is the lack of an emergency preparedness plan and resources in response to the COVID 19 pandemic crisis. Broadly speaking, a pandemic crisis is defined as a dynamic transition of a virus across nations via interpersonal interactions (Griffin et a., 2020). Onsite observations indicate that skilled nursing facilities lack a specifically designed policy for managing pandemic and effective management of critical situations. The lack of policy led to the uncontrolled patient admission and treatment processes and disparities in care provision. Also, the high number of patients was unable to obtain necessary care due to the unorganized facilities and ineffective action plan. As nurses are expected to respond to the pandemic crisis, It is essential to begin with assessing the facility of an emergency and educating staff on how to respond and manage a crisis.
Practice-Focused Question(s)
Recognizing the problem of the lack of emergency preparedness at skilled nursing facility, this DNP project is designed to answer two questions: What evidence-based strategies have emerged in the literature in the last ten years on best approaches for an emergency? A secondary question is: will a staff education program improve the nursing staff’s knowledge on emergency preparedness?
Educational Intervention
The healthcare facility as a system must function according to strictly designed policies and codes of conduct. According to McHugh (2010), “nurse staffing and supporting systems are weak links in the preparedness chain,” which is why it is crucial to ensure their compliance with the policies for the avoidance of failures in crisis management (p. 442). Importantly, the shortage of the nursing workforce nationwide imposes a need for attracting volunteers, retired nurses, temporary nurses, and invoking mutual aid agreements to come with public health emergencies (McHugh, 2010). However, all the nurses involved in the process must adhere to the same system of rule of conduct within the same action plan to ensure the unified efforts in crisis overcoming. Therefore, in order to eliminate accidents and errors in emergency departments, the nursing staff must be taught how to use an effectively designed action plan to address the complicated issues of the pandemic crisis.
Firstly, the nurses should be provided with the information on the particularities of the virus and the hazards it imposes. As in the case of any other crisis, the educational intervention aimed at COVID 19 should contain information about mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery, as the main aspects of crisis management (Ross & Bing, 2007). The process of education might be conducted by means of online conferences, remote-access seminars, and references to articles containing up-to-date information about the diagnosis and treatment options (Griffin et al., 2020). Since the virus is a rapidly evolving disease, the most recent data is vital for effective treatment.
Secondly, the mitigation efforts are aimed at the reduction of the impact caused by the emergency and lessening of the number of victims. Therefore, nurses must be educated about social distancing promotion and self-protection popularization in healthy individuals. Within the context of preparedness and response, it is vital for the nursing staff to ensure confident knowledge of the current policy enacted by the facility. The understanding of the steps required for proper response to the crisis will contribute to the collaborative effort of the whole unit and ensure the effectiveness of the crisis management.
Thirdly, another important issue in the implementation of an educational intervention is the efficiency of time use and planning. Under the circumstances of a high flow of patients and fast progress of the symptoms, timely action, and efficient organization of the work process is vital (Griffin et al., 2020). In addition, the standardization of care is another important issue that has the potential of eliminating errors and accidents and complies with global standards (Griffin et al., 2020). Thus, organizational aspects of conduct under the influence of crisis must constitute a significant part of the educational intervention.
Finally, due to the high number of patients arriving at a facility in the time of emergency situations, the screening and prioritization of the patients is a core element of nurses’ actions. Patients’ comorbidities should be evaluated in order to identify the risks associated with the complications induced by COVID 19. The positive patients’ contacts must be established and informed about the necessity of isolation (Ross & Bing, 2007). The high contingency level of the disease implies extensive safety measures across the facility staff. Indeed, in order to educate the nursing staff about the effective preparedness and response to the crisis under the circumstances of critical staff shortage, it is essential to promote self-protection measures when interacting with patients.
Overall, the educational interventions for nurses in the case of the COVID 19 emergency need to be arranged around the policy and action plans enacted in the facility. The protection of the health and well-being of health care workers is key in the effective execution of crisis management actions. Also, screening and prioritizing the patients, as well as engaging in the continuous updating of data related to diagnosis and treatment, will ensure better preparedness and a more effective response to COVID 19 emergency.
References
Griffin, K. M., Karas, M. G., Ivascu, N. S., & Lief, L. (2020). Hospital preparedness for COVID-19: A practical guide from a critical care perspective. American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, 201(11), 1337-1344.
McHugh, M. D. (2010). Hospital nurse staffing and public health emergency preparedness: Implications for policy. Public Health Nursing, 27(5), 442-449.
Ross, K. L., & Bing,C. M. (2007). Emergency. Home Healthcare Nurse, 25(6), 371-377.