Ebola: Keeping Perspective

Our NursingCenter team has been closely monitoring the Ebola virus outbreak over the past few months, but with recent developments related to the disease broadcast here within the United Statesmedia coverage has increased, and protocols and suggestions are being scrutinized closely. As nurses, we play a vital role in educating patients and the general public, and it’s important that we proceed to act with compassion and skill, while gathering our knowledge from reputable sources and maintaining perspective on recent events.

My thanks and best wishes for a speedy recovery go to Nina Pham and Amber Vinson, two nurses who contracted Ebola while caring for Thomas Eric Duncan, an infected patient who died on October 8, 2014. I commend you to your dedication and compassion. I’m happy with you.

To those of you caring for Nina and Amber, those already in or heading to West Africa to assist fight the outbreak, and people studying current guidelines and possible systemic issues, thanks. I’m confident that your exertions will make a difference here and abroad, and best practices for the security of patients, healthcare staff, and the general public are a priority.

As a nurse, I’ll proceed to learn from information and guidance from skilled organizations. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has an extended list of guidelines and checklists for American healthcare staff. WHO Global Alert and Response includes up-to-date news and facts, continuously asked questions and preparation suggestions. National Institutes of Health It also includes facts in regards to the virus and the most recent scientific advances in prevention, treatment and detection.

I encourage everyone to remain informed and share their knowledge with patients and the general public. Check out the above sites or our Ebola page on NursingCenter (which we update each day with information from the above sites). Our colleagues at also shared beneficial insights from a nurse epidemiologist who’s involved in concerns about personal protective equipmentand an IT nurse who’s taking a look at the role of electronic medical records in coping with the Ebola virus epidemic.

I had the pleasure of spending the past week in Congress and was in the corporate of over 800 nursing leaders from across the country as news broke of Ebola transmission within the U.S. The themes of the final sessions included a give attention to restoring pride in nursing, faith in team members, and addressing root causes slightly than putting out fires. I believe these themes are appropriate as we face this latest challenge in health care.