The year 2020, took the entire world by a storm where COVID-19 transformed the way we live. According to the World Health Organization, this year is considered to be the "Year of the Nurse and Midwife" on honor of the 200th birthday of Florence Nightingale (1820-1910). Throughout the world, many institutions and professional organizations, and the overall healthcare sector ay large were encouraged to celebrate this covered professions. The contributions and dynamic roles of nurses during these tough times and their commitment to provide quality care during the pandemic has made them an asset to humanity that needs to be appreciated and celebrated.
Nurses have played a significant role during the COVID-19 pandemic. They have continued to be on the front line for patient care in all healthcare settings. They are the ones actively involved in assessing, monitoring and offering critical care to those in need jeopardizing their safety. Nurses have to make sure that all patients get unmatched critical care regardless of the disease they are suffering from. Moreover, they are also responsible to be well prepared for outbreaks like COVID-19 that strain and overload healthcare professionals and institutions.
These nurses are responsible to administer quality care to hospitalized patients, alongside take care of complete public health operations. These nurses are front and center and working round the clock to ensure the wellbeing and health of patients by compromising on their safety. While the nurses have always been recognized for their persistent effort during a health crisis, but with the change in paradigms, nurses are now playing an important role in applying public health principles backed by clinical evidences to help in the prevention of diseases to assist those who are critically ill.
Today, nurses are playing an exceptional role in demonstrating impeccable expertise and skills in areas such as hospitals, disaster management, human resource management and more. The entire world today is proud of the services of nurses as they are not only taking care of patients but risking their lives during the pandemic. One can say that not a many nurses within the United States have ever dealt with a pandemic of this magnitude during their career as a nurse. It is rather accurate to say that nobody has.
During any crisis, nurses are the most important asset as they are not exempted from any unforeseen circumstances such as exposure to the virus or physical/mental fatigue. Today, healthcare institutions are putting in effort to procure high quality personal protective equipment Efforts are underway to ensure that all nurses have the proper personal protective equipment to ensure their safety while caring for patients. Moreover, the International Council of Nurses (ICN) has come up with a list of COVID-19 top protocols. It is a global call to action for fighting against coronavirus.
With the advancements in technology and healthcare, any assistance in combating the pandemic will not be possible without the compassionate and superior care of nurses. Nurses will thus always be on the front lines caring for everyone, be it a pandemic or not.