Thread by @KiraNewmanMDPhD

Some thoughts after week 2 of working in an #ICU here in #Seattle: (1/10)

The “new normal” is still in flux, but certain things are becoming more routine. I’ve adjusted to the slower pace of entering rooms with #InfectionControl precautions, online meetings are less buggy, and ordering some tests for patients has become easier. (2/10)

I’ve been surprised by the amount of fear not just from the public but also from other healthcare workers. I am becoming accustomed to caring for people with #COVID19, yet many are still not. It manifests as friction and pushback when calling a consult. (3/10)

There’s also fear from families. I don’t blame them. We haven’t had time to develop an illness narrative around #COVID19 in the same way as #influenza or #HIV. The data on who gets severe illness and why that happens are still emerging. Visitor policies may add to this. (4/10)

I didn’t expect how hard it would be to care for patients in the #ICU without being able to meet their families in person. Sometimes one family member (pre-screened for symptoms and no history of #SARSCoV2 exposure) can come in at the end of life, but it feels so late. (5/10)

Without family present, I feel extra pressure to bear witness to the last days of my patients’ lives. I've started spending time holding their hand and quietly standing by. It's rewarding but painful.

I am thankful to our #PalliativeCare team for supporting everyone. (6/10)

The amount of stress I feel has varied. The biggest source of it now is that I leave the hospital to a changed world. I cannot go home into the comfort of normalcy. With #PhysicalDistancing and many businesses closed, it seems surreal. (7/10)

Everyone who can appears to have taken up running. When people pass on the sidewalk, they do so at a distance, often averting their heads. The supermarket is out of flour whenever I go (#StressBaking). (8/10)

Seattle is trying hard to #FlattenTheCurve, but it’s likely too early to know if we’re succeeding. Nevertheless, I’m proud to be here, to be at @UWMedicine, and to be doing my job.

Keep up the #PhysicalDistancing, #WashYourHands, and #DONTtouchYOURface (9/10)

I am also grateful for having been a student @EmoryMedicine during the summer of 2014, when the hospital cared for patients with Ebola. Hearing from @colleenkraftmd, @AneeshMehtaMD, Bruce Ribner, and others taught me to trust my training, my #PPE, and my team. (10/10)