Nursing

Nurses are advocates for their patients, and nurse directors are advocates for both patients and their nursing staff, as well as the eyes and ears of senior leadership. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the nursing staff at SBH Health System were fearful and anxious;CDC guidelines were changing frequently. Following the frequently changing instructions on the use and conservation of PPE and isolation precautions was not easy. The presence of nurse directors gave the nursing staff support and education. During this crisis, three staggered daily shifts were created in order to cover, 7 days a week. Along with immediately reducing nursing staff anxiety, nursing staff felt greater support and encouragement from management and leaders, especially on the evening and night shifts. The nursing education department was an indispensable resource at the core of retraining nursing staff from different departments and training nursing staff in new procedures and equipment. The nurse director is one of the most important leadership positions in any hospital, but the heroes of this COVID-19 pandemic are all hospital workers. © SBH Health System 2022.

Respiratory Therapy and Proning

The novel SARS coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) is responsible for COVID-19 which primarily affects the respiratory tract, particularly the lungs, of infected patients. The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a large number of hospitalized patients with respiratory failure reaching the level of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). ARDS requires prolonged respiratory care. Critically ill patients can frequently progress to decompensation and death. Respiratory therapy is therefore important in response to such a health crisis as COVID-19, to improve patient care and ultimately prevent mortality. Modern respiratory care science has shown that proning can improve oxygenation of patients with ARDS. Planning and preparation for a viral respiratory health crisis require a strategy and system to prone patients effectively and safely. In this two-part chapter, perspectives are presented on respiratory therapy and proning during the pandemic. The experience of respiratory therapy at the SBH Health System during the COVID-19 crisis surge in Spring 2020 presents rich lessons to be learned about health crisis planning, preparation, and management with respect to respiratory therapy. © SBH Health System 2022.