Health epidemics impact sections of the population across the globe every day. While some instances are more expansive and affect more patients than others, every health epidemic requires a certain response from healthcare workers in an effort to curb the spread and return those affected to good health.
Health epidemics, whether they involve a highly contagious illness or illicit drug substances, shift the workflows and staffing needs within healthcare institutions. Staffing firms must be prepared to adequately respond and support the impacted community.
A look at recent epidemics
What type of event can fall into the classification of a health epidemic? And how, exactly, do these instances contribute to changes in healthcare staffing and workflows?
One well-known epidemic taking place in recent memory involved the H1N1 strain of flu, dubbed "swine flu." This illness surfaced in 2009 and continued to impact patients into 2010, causing the deaths of more than 203,000 people across the globe. As NPR contributor Richard Knox reported in 2013, the epidemic was 10 times more deadly than healthcare experts thought it had been at the time.
Health epidemics create rising staffing and workforce needs for healthcare providers and their partners.Not all epidemics involve viruses like the flu, however. As this list from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention demonstrates, healthcare institutions also consider foodborne illnesses to be responsible for potential epidemics, particularly when a large number of individuals are imp. In the year 2018 alone, the CDC has reported outbreaks of cyclospora from fast food salads, salmonella from prepared pasta salad and vibrio from fresh crab meat.
Other epidemics can involve illegal or prescription drugs and addiction. The opioid epidemic, for example, has been an issue within the healthcare community for years now, with 116 people dying each day from overdoses.
Changes in healthcare workflow and staffing needs
When epidemics like those discussed above impact regions or populations, they can put increased pressure on healthcare organizations to respond and provide care for people in need.
For example, when the H1N1 flu virus broke out in 2009, healthcare institutions saw a considerable influx of patients experiencing symptoms and requiring care. Without a quick response to these patients, individuals could have potentially further spread the flu, worsening the overall epidemic.
"Healthcare organizations call upon their staffing partners, who must be able to provide for these rising staffing needs."
What's more, with issues like the opioid epidemic, healthcare workers aren't just tasked with the responsibility to care for those affected, but must also help with prevention efforts. Educating the community about the problem and the ways in which they can avoid addiction falls to healthcare experts with more experience and accurate advice.
Ensure staffing resources are available to keep populations safe
When an epidemic impacts an area, the local healthcare community - including large institutions like hospitals - must be adequately prepared. And this includes, mainly, having personnel in place to care for affected patients and help shoulder the increased workload that these instances of outbreaks can cause.
In these situations, healthcare organizations will call upon their staffing partners, who must be able to respond and provide for these rising staffing needs. The best way to remain on top of staffing demands and properly manage the workforce is with an industry-leading VMS that can support all types of employees, including full-time, traveling, locum tenens and more.
To find out more about how staffing agencies can best provide for their healthcare clients, particularly during a health epidemic, connect with the experts at BlueSky Medical Staffing Software today.
