About nine out of every ten nurses have been forced to reuse their personal protective equipment, which is meant to be single-use, during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, according to a new poll of more than 23,000 nurses.
- 87% of nurses have reused single-use PPE while treating coronavirus patients.
- 84% of nurses have not been tested for the virus.
- 72% of nurses have had their skin or clothing exposed while working.
- 27% of nurses said that they have been exposed without proper PPE and went back to work within 14 days.
“We’ve known for years we’re behind,” said Jean Ross, president of National Nurses United, which conducted the poll from April 15 to May 10. “Not because we couldn’t have what we needed — because we are the richest country on the planet — but because of greed, because of the profit system that doesn’t really look out for the welfare of patients. Therefore, it couldn’t possibly look out for the welfare of workers.”
“The richest country in the world will call nurses heroes without even bothering to invest in mass producing N95 respirators and other equipment to keep nurses alive,” added Bonnie Castillo, executive director of NNU and a registered nurse. “Nurses signed up to care for their patients. They did not sign up to die needlessly on the front lines of a pandemic. Our message to employers and the Trump administration is: Platitudes are empty without protections. For our sake, for the public’s sake — give us PPE.”