Check out this graphic to anticipate future effort

[Doctors of Nursing Practice, Inc.]

[Jorge Mesa]

The COVID 19 has impacted and stretched healthcare resources. The graphic presents a very accurate description of the impact that the COVID 19 pandemic has had on the healthcare system and the different levels it has impacted. Although some of the waves have decrease, and services have returned to normal. The impact of the fourth wave has not been evaluated and yet understood. Healthcare professionals have endured mental and psychological trauma, and many have experienced burnout and decided the healthcare profession. The amount of cases has decreased, and many patients have recovered; the emotional impact on families is still happening, and the long-term effects will only be evident in many years. The closure of many services, schools, and the normal day-to-day human connection impact in mental health have yet to be studied, and the impact in society and interaction to be understood. Another element that needs to be included in the graphic is the impact and position of individuals related to the vaccine. The impact of reducing spread is another stressor that has not been quantified. As a healthcare leader, it is important to implement interventions to evaluate and address the emotional impact of healthcare professionals and the general public as the COVID pandemic continues to affect and impact daily activities. This graphic can help to predict and allocate resources where most needed.

[Anonymous]

COVID-19 has changed the world tremendously throughout these last few years and it has shown in all aspects of the world. It has changed the way we do business, communicate and interact with others, obtain supplies and materials, and the way we interact with patients in a hospital setting. This graph perfectly represents what is currently happening in the world today as are possibly currently located somewhere in between the second and third wave. As technology improves and more people become vaccinated, there will be more immunity throughout the communities which will help prevent the spread of COVID-19. This will eventually shift over to the third wave which would impact those with chronic conditions. However, we have not discussed the 4th wave which is currently happening behind the scenes and occasionally displayed over the media. It has been shown that many hospitals and institutions are severely understaffed just with the way hospitals treat their nurses. Many have chosen retirement or simply left to a higher paying job in order to receive compensation for what they feel is worth it. Many nurses who stick around understaffed units and hospitals currently struggle with both a mental and physical battle where there is simply not enough manpower to help complete the tasks of taking care of multiple patients. The mental aspect has to do with burnout as they are constantly being requested to come in and work overtime as the unit is unable to hire anyone willing to work. The shut down of many outside services has also shown that not only medical workers are suffering but those who’s income rely on face to face interaction such as brick and mortar businesses and services that require you to go in person. There is definitely an economical issue going on right now as the government continues to hand out money to those who are unemployed which may also decrease the incentive of wanting to look for a job until that fund is empty. This graph shows the direction that we are headed to perfectly and predicts the next step in the current pandemic situation.

[Chinegbonkpa Audrey Akanno]

The COVID 19 has dramatically changed or enhanced the perspective of everybody and impacted every single individual regardless of age, ethnicity, economic background, and etc. The graph demonstrated above perfectly represents the few burdens of the virus. When looking at the illustration labeled the first, second, and third wave, it precisely demonstrates the high impactful amount of deaths due to the virus. This occurrence is from not educating oneself with valid and accurate resources, low amount of resources available, and no cure nor valid treatment (ex: vaccines) available. As for the fourth wave, it summarizes the unfortunate effects from this virus. This virus made people encounter and treat their inner emotions regardless if it has something to do with a psychiatric medical condition or not and be burnt out and/or financially burdened due to being laid off or having to work more due to the low amount of essential workers and operations being suspended.

[Rosemary Benavides]

The graphic displays a COVID pandemic timeline describing it in phrases, or waves. The first wave: Immediate mortality and morbidity of COVID -19, the second wave: Impact of resource restriction on urgent non-COVD conditions, the third wave: Impact and interrupted care on chronic conditions, and the fourth wave: Psychic Trauma, mental illness, economic injury, and burnout. The timeline was created in 2020. It is February 2022, we are almost 2 years into this pandemic, and I would say that the graphic displayed is a fairly accurate timeline of the pandemic thus far. As an emergency department nurse at a level one trauma center, I have witnessed, and am witnessing these waves first hand. In my opinion, we have been experiencing the fourth wave for some time now. This pandemic has had a negative impact on healthcare system and communities. Many individuals, including adults and children, have suffered due to the psychological strain that the pandemic has created. Many people were laid off, or were forced to work from home, which also created feelings of social isolation. Children were also affected because they had to participate in online learn, which made social interactions with their friends and instructors impossible. As a result, adults and children experienced many mental illnesses such as depression, anxiety, and even suicide. Healthcare workers have also been affected by mental illnesses and burnout. Furthermore, the burnout has resulted in an overwhelming amount of nurses quitting, changing to different specialties, or units, which has in turn left many units in the hospital short staffed.

[Alan]

The COVID-19 crisis changed the landscape of the healthcare system. Although the pandemic brought fear, death, and created many financial and social problems, it also exposed how broken the U.S. healthcare system is. It also brought to the forefront the essential role frontline nurses play in healthcare, and the impact nurse burnout and shortage can have on the healthcare system. I worked as an ICU RN on a COVID-designated unit throughout the entire pandemic. I witnessed the various waves and the enormous impact of the pandemic. Looking at the graph, I agree with the descriptions for each wave. I witnessed innumerable deaths during the 1st and 2nd wave. In addition, I saw the COVID-19’s impact on the quality of life for those patients who were fortunate to survive. Personally, the 4th wave truly hits home. The workload and management of critically ill COVID patients were extremely overwhelming. The feeling of uncertainty, fear, anxiety, stress, and exhaustion took a toll on my mental and physical health. Physically, I’m still trying to recover my strength and energy. Mentally, I suffer from PTSD and burnout.

[Elizabeth Lopez]

This topic I’m sure still hits home to all of us that have worked through the pandemic. The chart that was provided was a great depiction of what took place during the four waves of covid in healthcare settings. Starting from the first wave, I can recall how almost every patient that came in with covid like symptoms if oxygen level was low, they would decompensate so quickly. So many of us can tell plenty stories of many lives that were lost during that horrible time. During the second wave our resources were impacted because our suppliers were having difficulty filling in the demand of request for all healthcare facilities. This is during the time I recall we were stretching out the use of our PPE’s. When the third wave came around, I don’t think healthcare had enough time to recover before we started to have high census due to patients with chronic illnesses. Most of these patients were not being cared for or attending their primary doctor visits because they were afraid and video visits, I don’t think was fulfilling the needs of this population. Lastly, the fourth wave on the chart indicated the outcome of the pandemic impact that included psych trauma, mental illness, economic injury, and burnout. I don’t think anyone could have predicted this pandemic lasting to this point. The ongoing isolations have caused an increase in mental health crisis including depression and anxiety not only on healthcare staff but for the public as well. The economic burden was also felt throughout the world and contributed as an additional stressor. Burnout for staff has hit its peak. Many healthcare staff have not been able to stop and devote time for themselves. Covid numbers have dropped but now we are dealing with staffing issues and still working out of ratio on many occasions. It is important to develop a plan to make changes to address all these issues and get healthcare back on track. We need to develop a plan to provide necessary resources for all staff to feel supported. We also need to be able to get back to providing the quality care that our patients need.

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