All Due Respect to our Hero Nurses through the COVID-19 Fight: You are and will be Always in Our Hearts
- 1. Department of Nursing, Islamic University of Gaza, Palestine
ABSTRACT
The year 2020 has been declared by the WHO to be the “Year of the Nurse and Midwife”. But unfortunately, it was a very stressful year to nurses and all other health care professional. It was supposed to be the year. In this short article, we would like to show our thanks and gratitude for all nurses all over the world for their effort to fight COVID-19, for all they did to help the patients in the hospital to recover the disease and for their efforts to help the public to limit the spread of the disease.
KEYWORDS
COVID-19; Nurse and Midwife
CITATION
Abu-El-Noor NI, Abu-El-Noor MK (2020) All Due Respect to our Hero Nurses through the COVID-19 Fight: You are and will be Always in Our Hearts. Ann Nurs Pract 7(3): 1117.
INTRODUCTION
Nursing is the profession of sacrifice and altruism. Nursing “encompasses autonomous and collaborative care of individuals of all ages, families, groups and communities, sick or well and in all settings. Nursing includes the promotion of health, prevention of illness, and the care of ill, disabled and dying people. Advocacy, promotion of a safe environment, research, participation in shaping health policy and in patient and health systems management, and education are also key nursing roles” [1].
The year 2020 has been declared by the WHO to be the “Year of the Nurse and Midwife”. Across the globe many organizations, professional associations and health care systems were preparing to affirm this theme and celebrate the many roles and contributions of nurses in advancing the health and welfare of people in every nation [2]. By chance, this year happened to be a special year that will make it special for nurses. With the unexpected international crisis of the COVID-19 pandemic, nurses proved that it is really the “Year of Nurse and Midwife” as they were at the frontline in the combat against COVID-19. This type of call to action is not new to nursing. Throughout history, nurses have played major roles in stepping into times of crisis and providing care that saved lives of many people and reduced their suffering. This brutal COVID-19 situation, which has produced staggering numbers of cases and deaths, will be no different [2].
Since nurses are the back bone of any health care system, they are the main active partners in any primary and secondary infectious disease prevention and treatment efforts. In every country, nursing is considered to be the top first line dedicated profession in the prevention from diseases and alleviation of suffering during and after any health crisis, including the COVID-19 [3]. Nurses were and still are the pioneers in developing all the best practices in relevant to patient management and clinical safety. Their capacity and effectiveness thrive more during crisis, wars, disasters and in infectious disease pandemics, as the COVID-19 [4]. Florence Nightingale was one of the earliest pioneers who dealt with epidemics through the principles of sanitation and hygiene. Nightingale showed the relation between infection control and hand washing [5]. The lessons of Nightingale’s nursing practice during the Crimean War are still being applied today during the COVID-19 pandemic which includes essential hand washing, maintaining standards of cleanliness and learning from the data [6]. This was affirmed by the American Nurses Association (ANA). The ANA said that nurse leaders are the key to preventing and containing widespread illnesses. They have the skills and education to develop coordinated global networking and properly identifying infectious diseases. ANA added that as frontline responders, nurse leaders are the first to recognize symptomatic patients and harmonize response efforts [7].
Nurses severed several roles during the fight against COVID-19. They provide direct care to the sick people, taking major roles of helping in limiting the spared of the virus through different public health education and playing a great role in providing psychological support to their patient through reassuring them during the different phases of the disease. With the fluctuating symptoms of the COVID-19, patients found to be fearful and require consistent support and reassurance [4]. What is special about nurses is that they provide care to their clients around the clock, which will put them at a higher risk compared to other health care providers to contract the infection and to suffer from physical and psychological fatigue. Under levels of duress more likely to be felt in a battle setting, nurses are staffing hospitals and clinics, pulling long shifts, wrestling with trauma and exhaustion, and putting themselves at risk of infection to care for people in need [5].
Unfortunately, there is no numbers available about nurses who contracted the disease. But according to the [8] number of medical staff who became infected in the United States accounts for as many as 20% of known coronavirus cases. In another report by [9] made in early June 2020, ICN estimates that about 7% of all COVID-19 cases worldwide are among health care providers. Based upon this estimate, there will be about 450,000 health workers got infected up to June 3rd, 2020 when the report was issued. This includes all health care providers, from doctors and nurses to hospital cleaners and from nursing home aides to paramedics. The toll of death among nurses was also high as more than 600 nurses have now died from the virus [9]. This high number of deaths and infected cases among nurses and other health care providers is related to the lack of personal protective equipment and poor preparedness for this pandemic [10].
As nurses, we are very proud of our heroes all over the world who sacrifice their health (physical and mental), their time and their lives to be part in fighting this virus. They provided that this year, 2020, was really the “Year of Nurse” and their presence in this fight is a real celebration throughout the year and at any time beyond this year. We believe that efforts of nurses were usually less recognized. But COVID-19 has brought into sharp view, the ever-evolving, ever-expanding role of the nurse in the healthcare system [5].
For their great job during this pandemic, we believe that each nurse deserves the best possible recognition for her/ his effort during this fight. This recognition can be made at the level of the family, neighborhood, health organization, and national or international levels. This could be fulfilled through showing appreciation to nurses from their family and neighbors by applause or by just saying “thank you for all you did.” At national or international level, recognition (especially to those nurses who died while serving their community) can be made through serving a recognition certificate that can be mailed to their families. This will make the families think of their beloved a ‘heroes’, which they are.
Finally, we would like to whisper in the ears of our hero nurses to always remember that you are the most valuable asset during this crisis even with the many advances in health care and technology, any progress in effectively combating the COVID-19 virus would cease to exist without the expert and compassionate care of you [2]. Always remember that you were and still are the most important service providers and the front-line care professionals that stand near the patients’ journey when they face a complex disease that requires hospitalization and even intensive critical care, as the COVID-19 [4].
REFERENCES
1. ICN. Definition of Nursing. 2020.
5. World Economic Forum. COVID-19 reminds us of the crucial role nurses play. 2020.
7. American Nurses Association. Nurses Responding to Global Pandemics. 2020.
8. The Guardian. Lost on the Frontline. 2020.
9. ICN. More than 600 nurses die from COVID-19 worldwide. 2020.
10. Kenny P. 90,000 healthcare workers infected with COVID-19: ICN. 2020.
