There are task force briefings and news updates multiple times each day, but what do nurses really need to know about COVID-19? Here are takeaways from some of our recent posts and podcasts…

1.  Limit the number of staff in COVID-19 patient rooms, especially when aerosol-generating procedures are occurring. (Read more in Coronavirus: Infection Prevention and Control).

2.  Consider the appropriateness of beginning and continuing CPR, discuss care goals with patients or their proxies and implement policies to help clinicians. (Read more in Cardiac arrest in patients with COVID-19: Reducing resuscitation risks.)

3.  After repositioning a patient to the prone position, wait 10 to 15 minutes to allow the patient to recover before considering a return to the supine position; consider increasing support of their oxygenation and hemodynamics temporarily. (Learn more by listening to COVID-19 ARDS and Proning: Learning in Real Time.) 

4.  In acute hypoxemic respiratory failure, target oxygen therapy to keep the SpO₂ no higher than 96%. (Read more in COVID-19 – Not Your "Typical" ARDS.)

5.  Screen patients with severe COVID-19 for hyperinflammation markers such as increasing ferritin, decreasing platelet counts, or erythrocyte sedimentation rate, to distinguish patients that could benefit from immunosuppression therapy. (Read more in Is COVID-19 Fueled by a Cytokine Storm?)

6.  When implementing a team model approach to care, have supplemental staff report directly to an experienced med/surg or critical care nurse. (Learn more in Bringing Back the Team Approach: It’s Time for Alternative Staffing and Onboarding Models.)

7.  For adults with COVID-19 and shock, titrate vasoactive agents to target a MAP of 60-65 mmHg. (Learn more by viewing Managing Critically Ill Patients with COVID-19.)

8.  If possible, identify a nurse ‘superuser’ who has advanced understanding of the correct use of PPE and request that they be a resource and counselor for other staff. (Read more in Nurses and COVID-19: Into the Battle with All That We Have and All That We Lack.)

9.  When faced with a difficult decision, focus on what you can control; focus your attention on the patient in front of you at that moment. (Read more in Preserving Integrity and Staying Power as a Nurse in a Pandemic.)

10.  A positive test for another respiratory virus does not rule out COVID-19 and should not delay testing if there is a high suspicion of COVID-19. (Learn more by listening to Managing Critically Ill Patients with COVID-19.)

What pearls do you have to share? Now more than ever, it’s important to keep learning from each other.