Nurses give first-hand account of flu on the ward
Two of our nurses have given a first-hand account of what happens when flu hits a hospital ward.
Junior Sister Charlene Evans and Ward Manager Carys Walters from the Acute Medical Assessment Unit in Morriston Hospital feature in our latest video promoting this year's flu campaign.
Here are a few text extracts from the video:
"When you nurse somebody who has really got a serious case of flu, these people actually are immobile. They are very, very unwell."
"Anyone can come down with flu. It has no barriers. It can affect anybody."
"Very often a patient comes in with an exacerbation of their asthma or CPD or chest infection. When the doctor comes to see them they may think there is a possibility of flu. If we need to isolate those patients it can be difficult if we haven’t got the cubicles or the side rooms in place... In the interim we have to shut the bay down until the flu results are back. If they come back positive then ultimately we have to treat all the vulnerable patients in that bay with Tamiflu. It’s quite time-consuming because if we have patients who need isolation and are at high risk of flu we then have to take extra precautions. It’s an airborne virus so masks (must be worn). It costs. It has a lot of implications."
"It has a huge impact on the care we’re providing. And it prevents patients from being discharged home."
"...a knock-on effect for the whole hospital."
View the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T9-kWjBL0ec&t=9s
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