What is it about?
COVID-19 is a novel virus, infection control guidance differed across Europe. This lack of clarity increased the risk of COVID-19 transmission through aerosol-generating procedures. Nurses made personal risk assessments to protect themselves, their families, and patients. PPE was not widely available, so nurses increased handwashing, washed and changed as son as they got home, and lived separately from their household.
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Why is it important?
Recognising the personal risks, and personal adaptions nurses working in respiratory areas made themselves to protect patients and families needs to be highlighted, to healthcare providers and policymakers. Infection control guidance needs to be fair, consistent, and be available, for further pandemic situations.
Perspectives
As a respiratory nurse myself, I returned to support clinical practice areas and witnessed a disconnect between national guidance, local policy, and procedure. Clear instructive statutory advice was challenging to obtain, this increased anxiety and fear in nurses being asked to work and care for people during the pandemic.
Dr Lindsay Welch
University of Southampton
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: A negotiation of respiratory risk in the first phase of the Covid-19 pandemic, September 2021, European Respiratory Society (ERS),
DOI: 10.1183/13993003.congress-2021.oa1504.
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