Healthcare workers wearing PPE in order to prevent getting infected themselves. Photo from Wikimedia.
As the battle with the Coronavirus continues, it is no surprise that the virus has impacted countries across the world including the United States. Millions are advised to stay home in hopes of flattening the curve through the practice of social distancing so that hospitals and healthcare workers are not being overwhelmed. However, states across the nation are hitting their peak, and statistics are revealing that there is a surge of new cases each day.
Throughout this pandemic, many are recognizing the large amount of work that healthcare workers are putting in. With many having families of their own, healthcare workers attend their jobs to do their part in society while having to face major obstacles. Challenges such as a lack of critical supplies including personal protective equipment (PPE) are one of the leading inconsistencies with an addition to managing patient flow in hospitals that are being impacted.
There is a certain domino effect that is taking place in hospitals throughout the United States. All of the problems are feeding off on each other which has led to numerous chain of events. And in this case, due to an insufficient amount of equipment and slow test results, the end result is only severe and consequently affects hospitals and healthcare workers. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the federal agency is even encouraging the practice of preserving supplies in healthcare facilities since there is such a shortage. More specifically, severe shortages of vital supplies on both testing and PPE ultimately restricts a hospital’s capacity to keep an eye on patients and staff. Therefore as cases rise, hospitals are also trying to combat the capacity concerns that have emerged as they are being overwhelmed.
