Protecting Health Care Workers Against COVID-19—and Being Prepared for Future Pandemics

As the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) spreads globally, signs are emerging that countries, including the United States, were woefully unprepared to protect health care personnel (HCP)—and thus, patients and the public. This lack of preparedness is shocking in light of the inevitability that a new global pandemic would emerge and the availability of guidance from the 2009-2010 H1N1 pandemic and the 2013-2016 Ebola outbreak.

Christopher R. Friese, Ph.D., RN, AOCN®, FAAN and Diana J. Mason, Ph.D., RN outline threats to health care workers caring for patients with documented or suspected COVID-19 in a new blog from JAMA Network.