Open AccessPlanning for the Pandemic
Author(s) -
Nicolette Fiore-Lopez
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
nursing administration quarterly
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.574
H-Index - 38
eISSN - 1550-5103
pISSN - 0363-9568
DOI - 10.1097/naq.0000000000000459
Subject(s) - competence (human resources) , pandemic , nursing , medical emergency , covid-19 , community hospital , business , medicine , psychology , social psychology , disease , pathology , infectious disease (medical specialty)
When the Covid 19 pandemic affected New York State, Federal and mostly State, mandates were given to hospitals to prepare for the expected influx of patients. This is a community hospital's planning journey that includes preparing for placing patients, educating caregivers, matching the abilities of the available caregivers with the needs of the patients, securing needed equipment and supplies, and caring for the caregivers. Planning for patient placement resulted in a phased-in guide, accommodating seriously and critically ill affected patients. Education and training were initial and ongoing, rapidly changing as new information became available. Effective care delivery models that focused on team were modified depending on the needs of patients and staff competence. Securing and maintaining equipment and supplies were challenging and caring for the caregivers was a priority. Working as a team, this community hospital developed a road map that was effective in planning for the surge and allowed the hospital to maintain a safe environment for staff and patients who received quality care in difficult time.