| Sandra L. Schwanberg, PhD, RN has over 35 years of experience in community and public health nursing and nursing education. She has extensive experience teaching nursing students in courses that use face-to-face and web based formats. She has served on many non-profit community agency boards. Dr Schwanberg received her basic nursing education at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and completed a master's degree in nursing at the University of Illinois. She earned a doctorate at the University of New Mexico.
Maurine Renville, LISW, M Ed has 30 years of experience in education and training, business, community building and clinical social work. She has taught in baccalaureate programs and has developed and implemented a business-training model in communication skills. She received bachelor and master's degrees in education from Central Washington State University and a graduate degree in social work from New Mexico Highlands University. She brings organizational, business and community building skills to this project and an understanding of the complex relationship between the strength of communities and individual health.
Lesley J. Mortimer, MSN, MPH, FNP, is a Family Nurse Practitioner certified by both the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC). She has over 38 years of experience in nursing, including 25 years working in international health. Ms. Mortimer has worked and lived in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East. Her areas of expertise are infectious diseases and tropical medicine. She is fluent in multiple languages including Spanish, French and German. Ms. Mortimer received her basic nursing education at St. Luke's Hospital School of Nursing in Racine, Wisconsin. She received a baccalaureate degree from the University of Montana, a master in nursing degree from Vanderbilt University and a masters in public health from Johns Hopkins University.
2. Why we wrote Pandemic Flu Home Care. We attended a number of local and regional pandemic planning meetings and heard citizens express an interest in having detailed, practical information about "how to manage at home" if a severe pandemic occurred and health care was not readily available. We completed a literature review of existing resources and found that only a small number actually focused on home care. We also examined the literature about pandemic planning and historical pandemic issues.
We took the position that the layperson could benefit from an evidence-based resource that used the Institute of Medicine literacy guidelines of "helping people get through the day" to deal with home care issues. We took the same care in writing the book for the public that we would take in preparing information for a professional audience. We felt that if people had thorough information, they could cope effectively with a difficult situation and make good decisions for themselves and their families. Throughout the writing process we asked lay people and health care professionals to review and comment on the work.
The materials available for people at the time we wrote the manual covered primarily mild symptom management. The materials recommended contacting physicians and hospitals when symptoms were more severe. From our historical review and current analyses of health care systems, it is likely that people may have to manage severe symptoms and death at home if a virulent influenza outbreak is widespread. We wanted people to have information that hopefully they will never have the need to use.
3. What else was available at the time. State and national pandemic flu plans which were primarily an adaptation of the National boilerplate provided by the Department of Health and Human Services. Only Alaska included provisions for some home health care. Wyoming public health nurses (Caring for the Sick at Home When it is the Only Option, http://www.pandemicpractices.o... and Santa Clara County http://www.pandemicpractices.o... had also created home care resources, but again, they covered primarily mild symptom management. The Montgomery County Maryland health department has also developed a basic home care information guide (Stay at Home Toolkit for Influenza http://www.pandemicpractices.o...
In addition, Grattan Woodson, MD http://birdflumanual.com/ has written a book on home care in case of influenza. Woodson's book anticipated the need to care for more severe symptoms at home but did not provide detailed, step-by-step information on how to set up a sick room, care for the daily needs of the sick person, and care for the ongoing needs of the family. None of the materials provided information on managing stress and grief.
4. What we expect in the fall, 2009. We expect that national and local news will be focused on information about influenza and the H1N1 situation around the world. It is important for people to know what changes are occurring and how the information affects them. Reading and digesting the eBook now will enable people to place new information within a public health context and to be more prepared for future events.
The new director of the CDC (and Dr Chan of WHO) have stated that the H1N1 influenza situation could become more severe in the fall. It is possible public interest and concern will again turn to information about influenza as the regular flu season begins.
5. Who do we see using the eBook? It is a resource written at the 10th grade level for the public. It could be used in acute care facilities, public health centers, churches, businesses, tribal nations and other groups. It is also a resource for doctors, nurses, paramedics and community health workers.
The entire book has been translated into Spanish. In addition, illustrations have been completed for one chapter and we intend to add additional illustrations for the rest of the book as funding becomes available.
6. Who we have shared the eBook with? The book is available on a website www.pandemichomecare.com. We have also sent the eBook to a number of organizations. The goal recently has been to increase distribution of the book and to locate a fiscal sponsor to collaborate with for fundraising and long- term expansion of the project. We view it as a national resource for pandemic preparedness.
Albuquerque Public Schools- Nurses (Janet Mason)
NM Department of Health
New Mexico Medical Society (link to our website)
NM State Senator Dede Feldman (wrote about eBook in monthy newsletter)
University of New Mexico Center for Native American Health
University of New Mexico Institute of Public Health
University of New Mexico College of Nursing
Senator Tom Udall (will link to our website)
CDC-Mitchel Cohen
WHO-Dolores Companerio
InStedd-Peter Carpenter
Institute of Biosecurity, St Louis University- Bill Stanhope
Various email groups
NY Times Tara Pope
Organizing for America -Luis Hernandez
American Public Health Association, Nursing Section
Flu wiki
Daily Kos
7. What else do you advise people to do? Read the book now, accumulate supplies and practice specific home care skills like infection prevention and setting up a sick room. These skills will always be useful, no matter what the health situation might be.
Form support groups to help one another. If you have a health care provider, discuss this resource with him or her. Becoming prepared now to manage in a "worst case scenario" will increase coping skills and help people adjust to any new information as it unfolds.
Thank you
Sandra Schwanberg
Maurine Renville
www.pandemichomecare.com |
