Please help me reply to two peers below. PEER#1: Gabrielle Gavino
What are some of the nursing implications of this disaster?
Some nursing implications regarding a tsunami are, ““nursing practice with minimal available materials and personnel” and “nursing practice based on knowledge and experience as a nurse” were common themes” (Mavrouli 2021). Another aspect of nursing implications that could possibly occur during a tsunami “may also cause severe mental health problems, such as severe, mild, or moderate mental disorders (e.g., psychosis, depression, anxiety disorders) and psychological distress” (Shiomitsu 2022). Additionally, “Tsunami survivors are at increased risk of respiratory infections (RIs), which may occur either from the direct exposure to the microbial flora of the aspirated tsunami water or as a result of the post-tsunami settings in affected areas” (Mavrouli 2021). Moreover, in terms of responding to a disastrous situation, there were “nurses who respond to large-scale disasters have a long duration of experience; newly-appointed nurses are also required to respond in disaster situations […] Disaster nursing practice was not common among the current participants, and was conducted on the basis of empirical rules” (Shiomitsu 2022). What diseases do you need be concerned about and how would you protect yourself and others? Be specific.
In terms of diseases that are high risk for tsunami survivors are, “tsunami-associated aspiration pneumonia, known as “tsunami lung”, involves not only mechanical or chemical-induced lung inflammation, but also bacterial infection induced by intrapulmonary inoculation of various bacteria isolated from saltwater, freshwater, and soil” (Mavrouli 2021). Furthermore, the “causative organisms of pleural empyema were Streptococcus sanguinis and S. mitis […] viridans streptococci are generally found in dental plaque that, in this case, was inadvertently swallowed and adhered to a pine tree branch, a foreign body during the near-drowning event” (Mavrouli 2021). Another disease that could occur due to a tsunami disaster is through the bacteria, “Legionella pneumophila causes human legionellosis that varies in severity from an acute, self-limited, febrile illness, known as Pontiac fever, to severe and sometimes fatal pneumonia accompanied by multisystemic disease” (Mavrouli 2021). In terms of how to protect oneself and others from diseases after a tsunami disaster, “Administration of highly effective vaccines, such as MMR (measles, mumps and rubella), flu, H. influenzae type b (Hib), and pneumococcal vaccines should be conducted as soon as people start gathering in camps” (Mavrouli 2021). Lastly another aspect that should be taken into consideration when taking care of oneself and others in this disaster is that, “clinicians should be aware of unusual complications and highly-resistant microorganisms that can lead to extensive illness and death in tsunami survivors, who must be considered high-risk patients, even months or years after the natural disaster” (Mavrouli 2021). PEER#2:
Allison Thang
8:48amAug 29 at 8:48am
Hello class, With a hurricane, there are some damages that occur afterwards, and one of the nursing implications for caring for those who survived a hurricane is heat stress and being dehydrated (Mac, 2017). Heat stress causes heat stroke, severe thirst, exhaustion from the heat, and having a heat rash (Health and Safety Executive, n.d.). These could result in damage to the brain as it can affect the internal body’s temperature and with the loss of fluids from the body due to dehydration it can negatively impact the brain’s function (Health and Safety Executive, n.d.). Continuing, in the youtube video about hurricanes, it described how during hurricanes power outages occur leading to individuals to use a generator as backup (National Geographic, 2011). With the power outage and use of a generator it can lead to carbon monoxide poisoning (Mac, 2017). Large amounts of carbon monoxide can harm the body as the individual could pass out or unfortunately pass away due to the poisoning (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2023). As well with the symptoms of the poisoning from carbon monoxide, the symptoms are also described as “flu-like” causing others to not realize they may have it due to inhalation of carbon monoxide (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2023). One disease that needs concern after a hurricane is influenza. Influenza is the most common disease to break out post-hurricane as there are disruptions to the sewage and water system (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2019). Hurricanes cause a lot of damage to many resources for our health and safety, leading to the uncleanliness of our sources, increasing the risk for individuals to be susceptible to infections and diseases. Some of the ways to protect ourselves and others is by washing our hands. Washing our hands with soap and water prevents diseases and bacteria from transferring to one another, if soap and water are not available, alcohol-based sanitizers can be utilized, but if that is also not available then combining ⅛ teaspoon of household bleach with a gallon of water, letting it sit for thirty minutes can be used as an alternative (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2019). Another way is to keep up-to-date with immunizations, this can greatly prevent the transmission of the infection going around for ourselves and others (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2019). Additionally, with drinking water and food, it is best to clean up any expired food as well as avoiding the use of water for drinking, bathing, and cleaning since it may not be cleaned unless cleared by local authorities (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2019). Water plays an important role in protecting our health as it keeps us hydrated and gets rid of the bacteria by cleaning and washing it away, so ensuring the water is safe to use is important after a natural disaster. Thanks so much