’Frightened’ nurses reliving pandemic trauma in overwhelmed ICUs

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This article was published 29/12/2023 (617 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

There’s a discomfiting sense of déjà vu among nurses in Manitoba hospitals again scrambling to find additional staff for critical-care units overwhelmed by patients felled by flu and other respiratory illnesses.

As was the case during the first waves of COVID-19 in late 2020 and early 2021, nurse “extenders” — other health-care workers assisting in intensive-care unit teams — and nurses shuffled from other departments are being pressed into service caring for critically-ill patients.

“We’re back in that situation again. We’re moving nurses from one department into the ICUs to manage patients,” said Manitoba Nurses Union president Darlene Jackson.

“It’s very challenging for them, and they are very frightened when they’re there, because if you’ve never looked after a ventilated patient (and you’re expected to do so) it is absolutely frightening for a nurse in that position.”

Nurses are being asked to take on extra shifts, they’re being “voluntarily mandated” beyond their regular working hours, and they’ve been asked to forgo planned vacation time to keep working as patient volumes increase, she said.

“They are feeling overwhelmed, they are feeling as if they don’t have enough staff to provide the patient care they know they need to provide in these critical-care areas.”

A lack of intensive-care capacity means scheduled surgeries are being cancelled for patients who need a post-surgery ICU bed. The number of surgical procedures cancelled this week was not available Friday afternoon.

“They are feeling overwhelmed, they are feeling as if they don’t have enough staff to provide the patient care they know they need to provide in these critical-care areas.”–Darlene Jackson

There were no surgeries postponed at Children’s Hospital because of ICU capacity issues this week, a Shared Health spokesman said, adding there are contingency plans in place to extend capacity in both the pediatric and adult ICUs at Health Sciences Centre.

The pediatric ICU is still operating above baseline capacity and a high number of children are showing up in the ER, where 51 per cent the patients had the flu or flu-like symptoms, Shared Health said.

There was a daily average of 160 patients in the children’s ER, down slightly from record-high levels in November 2022, when the daily average was 170.

Adult patient volumes in HSC’s ICU are also higher than normal and about 30 per cent have respiratory symptoms, Shared Health said, noting there were 861 patient visits to Winnipeg ERs and urgent-care centres Thursday.

Shared Health is again urging the public to get vaccinated against the flu and COVID-19, stay home when sick and practise good hygiene. Officials are pointing Manitobans to myrightcare.ca or Health Links to determine if they need to go to the hospital or can be safely cared for at home or by their family doctor.

Jackson said she receives emails from nurses who provide a picture of how hospitals are dealing with the surge. Children’s Hospital is “really struggling,” as is Brandon Regional Health Centre’s ER and ICU, and staffing shortages in Thompson and northern Manitoba are severe, she said.

“There isn’t a spot in this province that you can find where there isn’t a nursing shortage that is absolutely causing difficulty,” she said.

Jackson urged the public to get vaccinated and again called for health-care facilities to impose mask mandates. That decision is up to public health officials.

Even before influenza and respiratory virus cases started to peak, the situation in hospitals was untenable for nurses who were already exhausted, she said.

“This happens every year, and it feels like there’s never a plan to provide flex in the system to ensure that we’re covered. We know the flu and RSV is coming every fall.”

“This happens every year, and it feels like there’s never a plan to provide flex in the system to ensure that we’re covered. We know the flu and RSV is coming every fall.”–Darlene Jackson

And she offered some advice to Manitobans who need to go to the hospital.

“Prepare to wait, and be kind, because the staff are doing everything they can to get those patients through as fast as they can,” she said.

katie.may@freepress.mb.ca