Survey Shows Wash. State Nurses Uneasy about Ebola Preparedness
Oct. 14--Early results from a survey of nurses across Washington show widespread concern over the ability of the state's medical system to safely care for Ebola patients.
Of the more than 400 nurses who responded quickly to a survey distributed Friday, nearly 70 percent said they are not as well prepared as they should be to deal with the deadly virus.
Though the results are preliminary, they mirror national surveys and reflect the kinds of comments pouring in to the Washington State Nurses Association(WSNA), said Judy Huntington, executive director for the 16,000-member union, which prepared the survey.
"There is a good deal of anxiety out there," Huntington said Monday, one day after a Dallas, Texas, nurse tested positive for the disease as a result of treating a Liberian man who was the first person to die from Ebola in the United States.
The nurse used full protective gear when working with the patient, and officials at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention were scrambling to figure out how she picked up the virus.
Many of the nurses who responded to the survey said they haven't received any specialized training in anticipation of Ebola cases, particularly on the tricky maneuvers required to suit up in protective clothing and remove contaminated garments safely.
It's the kind of thing nurses learn during their careers, but most have few opportunities to practice, Huntington said.
"It's not something you use every day, so it's important they have additional training," she said.
According to respondents, some hospitals have provided excellent training and updates for their staff. But some have not addressed the issue at all, Huntington said.
"They need to get on it right away," she said.
Some nurses and medical technicians at Harborview Medical Center participated in a media briefing Monday, praising the hospital's preparations.
Nurse Vanessa Patricelli, of Service Employees International Union Healthcare 1199NW, didn't join the briefing, but said she believes Harborview's plans are solid.
"This is just a step up from the procedures we normally have in place," she said.
Public Health -- Seattle & King County on Monday strengthened its recommendations to area hospitals, urging them to review their infection-control programs, to drill staffers in the use of protective gear, and to designate an observer to watch while workers don and remove the gear.
"We're asking them to look for ways to become even more vigilant," said epidemiologist Dr. Meagan Kay.
About 500 staff members from Washington's 99 hospitals participated in a webcast Monday with the state Department of Health and the Washington State Hospital Association, said association spokeswoman Mary Kay Clunies-Ross.
"A lot of people are paying attention to this and asking questions about what we need to do to be prepared," she said.
But some health-care facilities in Washington have been slow to react, Huntington said.
"I think until the patient arrived in Dallas, most people didn't really think this thing would hit the United States," she said.
At least one local emergency medical technician also raised concerns about the readiness of ambulance crews. The employee of American Medical Response (AMR), which operates about 120 ambulances in the state, said the staff had received no heavy-duty protective gear nor any briefings or written information on extra precautions to take with a potential Ebola patient.
"We would feel OK about it if we were trained properly," the employee said. "But we don't like going into something blind."
Company spokesman Brant Butte said extra equipment is on order, and that information on Ebola response was posted on AMR's website.
But the company is considering Ebola drills in the coming days, Butte said.
Sandi Doughton: 206-464-2491 or sdoughton@seattletimes.com
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