• Before the Covid-19 outbreak, nurses already faced workplace challenges.
• Infection of health workers has scared nurses, making them mistake-prone.
Worldwide, nurses and midwives play a vital role in providing health services.
There are times when they are the first and only point of healthcare in communities.
The World Health Organisation designated 2020 as the International Year for the Nurse and Midwife.
WHO had envisioned nurses celebrating their achievements and being celebrated by the whole world, especially by the people whose lives they have touched.
The goal was to highlight the role of nurses and midwives in healthcare delivery and the challenging work conditions they face. It also sought to urge governments to invest more in the nursing and midwifery workforce.
Unfortunately, even before they could begin the celebrations, the nurses’ role was thrust into the limelight in a very dramatic and concrete way. The Covid-19 outbreak put them right at the front line of a battle for which no one was fully prepared.
Before the Covid-19 outbreak, nurses in Kenya already faced workplace challenges, including a lack of basic equipment and supplies and a nursing shortage. This led to nurse-patient ratios that compromise the quality of care and safety of both patients and nurses.
The onslaught of this Covid-19 pandemic in developed countries has heightened fears for many nurses. They feel ill-prepared to cope with an influx of patients, should that happen to us.
The apprehension is real, considering some of the countries with more resources and detailed emergency plans are getting overwhelmed.
Statistics about nurses and other healthcare workers who have been infected have added to the fear and highlighted the vulnerability of the people at the battlefront.
It is commendable that the government is making an effort to increase the number of healthcare workers and supplies in readiness for the worst.
It is critical that staff at the frontline have protective wear that includes gowns, masks, face shields and gloves. Availing protective gear should go hand in hand with training on proper use and providing information to ensure staff safety.
We must balance between protecting the caregivers and making sure we do not run out of supplies that will be much needed in the event the situation becomes as bad as projected.
In my experience as a nurse, I have observed that staff members make mistakes when they are scared.
With the fear that has come with this pandemic, these mistakes can result in failure to protect themselves from getting infected, or unknowingly exposing patients to infection.
This is why we must provide psychosocial support to the caregivers, which includes one-on-one or group counselling, and accommodation for those who have been exposed or those do not wish to go home after work for fear of exposing their loved ones.
Nurses also have to deal with the stigma associated with Covid-19, leading to social isolation and psychological trauma. We must support them in various ways to help them keep offering the care needed at this point.
At the Aga Khan University Hospital in Nairobi, we have put in place psychosocial support for our nurses and other staff members. In addition, comfortable staff accommodation has been identified, as well as transportation to ease the burden of the escalating cost of public transportation.
Sharing information with our nurses and other staff on a regular basis and making leadership visible on the ground are other ways to help calm the staff members.
These are some of the practical yet highly impactful things that those in leadership at healthcare facilities can adopt to support the nurses.
The speed at which this pandemic hit the world caught many by surprise and shock. As a country, we are fortunate we can learn from the experiences of the countries that were first hit and be prepared to act fast.
Every citizen needs to heed the guidelines that have been provided to curb the spread of Covid-19 infection. Stay at home, wash your hands frequently and maintain physical distance. With this, you will protect yourself, your loved ones and healthcare workers.
To all the nurses on the frontline: Be encouraged, we are a resilient force. When this crisis is over we shall have our global celebrations as earlier planned. Only this time, the guest list will include everyone else who is with us on the frontline and behind the scenes, fighting the coronavirus.
Edited by V. Graham