Thread by @Dr_ScottK

There are at least 5 hospitals in Maryland using “crisis protocols” and most others are on the brink. If you don’t understand what that means @FutureDocs gives one example - you could be stuck waiting in a hallway for a hospital bed for days. Here are a few more examples:

https://twitter.com/futuredocs/status/1475966133853425682

Instead of having one ICU nurse caring for you and maybe one other patient, he might be caring for 3 other patients.
And it turns out she might not even be an ICU nurse, she’s a regular med surg nurse who was pulled.
But if you aren’t in the ICU, you’re fine, right?

Well….turns out the nurses on the inpatient unit are caring for 6 patients instead of 4, and they have been pulled from non clinical roles like case management or outpatient.
But the doctors will catch problems, right?

Not necessarily in this scenario when there are too many patients in too many locations. Doctors rely on nurses to detect early deterioration. And oh, the usual hospitalist have been pulled to the newly minted hall ICU and now an outpatient doctor is in charge.

This just highlights the immediate staffing challenges. We can also discuss equipment, IV fluids, pharmaceuticals, and support staff like RTs. Everything is effected all over the hospital. But I’m vaccinated and won’t get #COVID19, I should be fine, right?

It doesn’t matter what you might come into the hospital for (stroke, appendicitis) you will in no way be getting the care you should be receiving or would have received last month. You will be impacted by all of these issues.
Please #MaskUp #StayHome and get your #CovidVaccine