Skip to content
  • About
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Book
  • Careers
  • Podcast
  • Recommended
  • Speaking
  • All
  • Physician
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • Video
    • All
    • Physician
    • Practice
    • Policy
    • Finance
    • Conditions
    • .edu
    • Patient
    • Meds
    • Tech
    • Social
    • Video
    • About
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Book
    • Careers
    • Podcast
    • Recommended
    • Speaking

The unsung heroes of the pandemic

Christine Lau, MD and Collette Williams, PhD, RN
Physician
December 12, 2020
12 Shares
Share
Tweet
Share

Physicians, nurses, and respiratory therapists on the coronavirus pandemic frontlines have been hailed as heroes for putting their lives at risk to help others. While they may be the face of the hospital and those interacting directly with the patients, hospitals are full of other staff members also going above and beyond to ensure patient and staff safety during this pandemic. These individuals not only make the hospital work daily even before COVID-19, but their jobs have been exponentially stressful during the pandemic.

1. Housekeeping and environmental services. The pandemic has brought greater attention to the need for cleanliness and hygiene more than ever. Housekeeping and environmental services staff perform the arduous tasks of wiping down beds, cleaning hospital hallways and patient rooms, and decontaminating hospital equipment. Arguably, these individuals have the most important role in preventing the spread of infection within the hospital.

2. Maintenance and facilities. The engineers, electricians, and maintenance workers of the facilities team have rapidly expanded hospital capacity and built temporary units. They ensure HVAC systems are operating efficiently and optimally for adequate ventilation to contain the virus’s spread. And they maintain sufficient negative pressure rooms and air filtration, especially among isolation units for infected patients.

3. Supply chain department. The supply chain department staff are responsible for PPE procurement and ensuring the hospital is stocked with everything needed—all the linens used for patient beds and all the gloves and masks donned by physicians and nurses. With the increased demand worldwide, the usual providers quickly became overwhelmed with orders, and the supply chain department was forced to scour the market for new, trusted providers. There was not only difficulty finding sufficient supplies, but there were often delays and extended delivery times given the shutdowns.

4. Information technology. The information technologies department’s professionals make certain there are adequate computer workstations and computers on wheels for the additional units and extra staff. This was a large amount of work for areas not normally used for patient care, including temporary units and outdoor triage areas. They procured tablets for patient communications with families when visitors were no longer allowed in the hospital and set up workable telemonitoring equipment and telemedicine.

Health care requires many talented and dedicated individuals to form a multidisciplinary team, a team consisting of providers across different specialties and staff across many different departments. Although the clinical staff has received recognition, hospitals would not function without all its nonclinical staff also working tirelessly, day after day. This has been especially true during this pandemic.

And if this pandemic has taught us anything, we must recognize and appreciate every team member more often, as they play a vital role in health care and often don’t receive the recognition and appreciation they very much deserve.

Christine Lau is a physician. Collette Williams is a nurse educator.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com

Prev

You shouldn't be in health care if you don't believe in masking

December 12, 2020 Kevin 8
…
Next

8 things physicians should know before they're interviewed by the media

December 12, 2020 Kevin 0
…

Tagged as: COVID, Infectious Disease

Post navigation

< Previous Post
You shouldn't be in health care if you don't believe in masking
Next Post >
8 things physicians should know before they're interviewed by the media

More by Christine Lau, MD and Collette Williams, PhD, RN

  • COVID-19: Looking into the future and healing

    Christine Lau, MD and Collette Williams, PhD, RN
  • Continuing medical education: Why it’s important and how to make it effective

    Christine Lau, MD and Collette Williams, PhD, RN

Related Posts

  • How the COVID-19 pandemic highlights the need for social media training in medical education 

    Oscar Chen, Sera Choi, and Clara Seong
  • Why this physician marched during a pandemic

    Raj Sundar, MD
  • Social workers are medicine’s unsung heroes

    Richard Gunderman, MD, PhD
  • The pandemic has only further strengthened my passion to become a physician

    Karan Patel
  • How are the residents doing during the pandemic?

    Maggie Connolly, MD
  • The first day of medical training during a pandemic

    Elizabeth D. Patton

More in Physician

  • Physicians have no autonomy. Here’s how to change that.

    Diane W. Shannon, MD, MPH
  • The erosion of patient care

    Laura de la Torre, MD
  • Navigating adulthood in the digital age

    Eleanor Menzin, MD
  • The power of business knowledge for medical professionals

    Curtis G. Graham, MD
  • Using the language of art to create work-life balance

    Sarah Samaan, MD
  • Lively communication in the service industry

    Deepak Gupta, MD
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Reigniting after burnout: 3 physician stories

      Kim Downey, PT | Physician
    • Inside the grueling life of a surgery intern

      Randall S. Fong, MD | Physician
    • I’m tired of being a distracted doctor

      Shiv Rao, MD | Tech
    • Pediatricians grapple with guns in America, from Band-Aids to bullets

      Tasia Isbell, MD, MPH | Policy
    • Physicians have no autonomy. Here’s how to change that.

      Diane W. Shannon, MD, MPH | Physician
    • AI-driven diagnostics and beyond

      Michael Kirsch, MD | Tech
  • Past 6 Months

    • Medical gaslighting: a growing challenge in today’s medical landscape

      Tami Burdick | Conditions
    • I want to be a doctor who can provide care for women: What states must I rule out for my medical education?

      Nandini Erodula | Education
    • Balancing opioid medication in chronic pain

      L. Joseph Parker, MD | Conditions
    • I’m a doctor, and I almost died during childbirth

      Bayo Curry-Winchell, MD | Physician
    • Mourning the silent epidemic: the physician suicide crisis and suggestions for change

      Amna Shabbir, MD | Physician
    • Reigniting after burnout: 3 physician stories

      Kim Downey, PT | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • Physicians have no autonomy. Here’s how to change that.

      Diane W. Shannon, MD, MPH | Physician
    • Understanding intersex health care [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • The erosion of patient care

      Laura de la Torre, MD | Physician
    • Debating the role of psychiatric assessments in medical decisions

      Christian Youssef & Francisco M. Torres, MD | Conditions
    • Navigating adulthood in the digital age

      Eleanor Menzin, MD | Physician
    • 5 things to know about weight from a bariatric surgeon

      Maria Iliakova, MD | Conditions

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.


Find jobs at
Careers by KevinMD.com

Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now.

Learn more

Leave a Comment

Founded in 2004 by Kevin Pho, MD, KevinMD.com is the web’s leading platform where physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, medical students, and patients share their insight and tell their stories.

Social

  • Like on Facebook
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Connect on Linkedin
  • Subscribe on Youtube
  • Instagram

CME Spotlights

From MedPage Today

Latest News

  • AI Not Ready to Replace Radiologists Interpreting Chest X-Rays
  • Study Confirms Better Survival for HPV-Positive Cervical Cancer
  • FTC Sues Anesthesia Group and Its Private Equity Backers
  • Inmates Escape From Hospitals in Recent Spree
  • 'The Last Straw' Driving Workers Out of Healthcare

Meeting Coverage

  • New Schizophrenia Treatments Are Coming: Don't Panic
  • Loneliness Needs to Be Treated Like Any Other Health Condition, Researcher Suggests
  • Stopping Medical Misinformation Requires Early Detection
  • AI Has an Image Problem in Healthcare, Expert Says
  • Want Better Health Outcomes? Check Out What Other Countries Do
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Reigniting after burnout: 3 physician stories

      Kim Downey, PT | Physician
    • Inside the grueling life of a surgery intern

      Randall S. Fong, MD | Physician
    • I’m tired of being a distracted doctor

      Shiv Rao, MD | Tech
    • Pediatricians grapple with guns in America, from Band-Aids to bullets

      Tasia Isbell, MD, MPH | Policy
    • Physicians have no autonomy. Here’s how to change that.

      Diane W. Shannon, MD, MPH | Physician
    • AI-driven diagnostics and beyond

      Michael Kirsch, MD | Tech
  • Past 6 Months

    • Medical gaslighting: a growing challenge in today’s medical landscape

      Tami Burdick | Conditions
    • I want to be a doctor who can provide care for women: What states must I rule out for my medical education?

      Nandini Erodula | Education
    • Balancing opioid medication in chronic pain

      L. Joseph Parker, MD | Conditions
    • I’m a doctor, and I almost died during childbirth

      Bayo Curry-Winchell, MD | Physician
    • Mourning the silent epidemic: the physician suicide crisis and suggestions for change

      Amna Shabbir, MD | Physician
    • Reigniting after burnout: 3 physician stories

      Kim Downey, PT | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • Physicians have no autonomy. Here’s how to change that.

      Diane W. Shannon, MD, MPH | Physician
    • Understanding intersex health care [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • The erosion of patient care

      Laura de la Torre, MD | Physician
    • Debating the role of psychiatric assessments in medical decisions

      Christian Youssef & Francisco M. Torres, MD | Conditions
    • Navigating adulthood in the digital age

      Eleanor Menzin, MD | Physician
    • 5 things to know about weight from a bariatric surgeon

      Maria Iliakova, MD | Conditions

MedPage Today Professional

An Everyday Health Property Medpage Today
  • Terms of Use | Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
All Content © KevinMD, LLC
Site by Outthink Group

Leave a Comment

Comments are moderated before they are published. Please read the comment policy.

Loading Comments...