As an ER doc I've always known I could be exposed to a pathogen or toxin that could harm me. But in the past, when the risk was known in an individual patient, I always had the protective gear needed to be as safe as possible. Here's how it feels to be an ER doc right now: (1/14)
In our current situation, there isn't enough appropriate gear to protect every healthcare worker. Combining the normal stressors of everyday life in the ER (on which we thrive) the very real likelihood that we'll become a victim of this #pandemic looms large in our minds. (2/14)
It's a stressor that we bring home as well. From changing out of our scrubs in a “safe place” at the hospital and disinfecting every item we carry back and forth, to disrobing in our garages and sprinting to a shower before greeting our loved ones, life is very different. (3/14)
In addition to our own safety, some of us have faced - and others *will* face - decisions we never thought possible in this country. We are making life-or-death decisions not based on research, data & evidence... but based on a lack of ventilators. (4/14)
For a group of professionals who entered this field to help the most people & do the most good, the daily risk to ourselves & our families, combined with relegating people to death simply based on a scarcity of resources, may prove to be too much. It pains me to say this. (5/14)
What will we do when a significant number of healthcare workers succumb to the #coronavirus? Who will staff our hospitals? What happens when we finally get past this, and an already alarming rate of #burnout accelerates due to our so-called "heroism" of the prior months? (6/14)
There's a way to mitigate the fallout from the current situation. If we act quickly & decisively, it's not too late to spare a significant part of this country from the horrible impact of ventilator & ICU bed shortages. We can protect more workers with adequate PPE (gear). (7/14)
We must enact a nationwide shelter-in-place to stop the spread of #coronavirus in its tracks. We must then massively increase testing on symptomatic *and* asymptomatic patients, to determine the true extent of the #pandemic in different areas of the country. (8/14)
The Trump Administration must also fully operationalize the Defense Production Act to get necessary #PPE & #Ventilators to the front lines to support us in battle. Over 3500 healthcare workers signed this letter👇. Please give us a fighting chance (9/14) committeetoprotect.org/covid-19-lette…
Only when we're fighting with our full armamentarium (collection of medical resources) & testing widely, can we move to open some segments of society to more normal behavior, based on data & science. Only then will we be able to declare we are truly managing this crisis. (10/14)
As an ER doc, I'm not surprised by stories of heroism of doctors, nurses, techs & all hospital personnel treating #COVID19 patients. But, make no mistake, over time this will take a toll on the individuals & the system. We need to take the above measures to preempt this. (11/14)
Those of us who have chosen to staff our nation’s emergency departments are of a different breed. We sleep less, drink more coffee & deal with frequent dark moments (often coping via a unique sense of humor). (12/14)
And yet, we come back each shift ready to take on whatever chief complaint may present itself, from a difficult airway, to a severed limb, to a sick child lying limp in her parents’ arms. We have come to expect the unexpected & are ready on a moment's notice when needed. (13/14)
We take the stress of these moments in stride, and at the end of a long shift go back to our families, hug our kids, walk our dogs & come back the next day recharged. But this #pandemic presents a different set of challenges. Please help us save lives & do the job we love. /END
