title: A review of critical care nursing and disease outbreak preparedness.
abstract: The impact of disease outbreaks continues to increase globally. As frontline staff, critical care nurses (CCNs) are more likely to be confronted with the need to care for affected patients. With different pathological diseases emerging, CCNs play an integral role in disease outbreaks. The advanced skill set of CCNs is pivotal in the management and care of patients during an outbreak. Lack of planning and preparation before disease outbreaks leads to detrimental patient outcomes. Panic, chaos, and fear for personal safety cause stress and anxiety for unprepared nurses. However, this problem can be resolved. Comprehensive planning, training, and education can better prepare intensive care unit nurses for disease outbreaks. This article reviews some of the current literature on intensive care unit nurse preparedness for disease outbreaks in the United States. This article also offers strategies that may be used to better prepare CCNs for disease outbreaks.
authors.affiliation: Arrowhead Regional Medical Center in Colton, California, USA.
authors.forename: Miranda
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Makamure
authors.forename: Muriel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Makamure
authors.forename: Williane
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Mendiola
authors.forename: Daisy
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Renteria
authors.forename: Melissa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Repp
authors.forename: Azshwee
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Willden
mesh_terms: D002983:Clinical Competence; D003422:Critical Care / Q000458:organization & administration*; D064648:Critical Care Nursing; D004189:Disaster Planning; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006801:Humans; D007362:Intensive Care Units / Q000458:organization & administration; D024802:Nurse's Role; D009741:Nursing Staff, Hospital