We need to stay positive as this too shall pass, says ICU nurse

Cape Town – “We need to stay positive – this too shall pass.”

So said Rehana Maseti, a nurse working in the Tygerberg Hospital surgical intensive care unit (ICU), who lives in Parow East.

Maseti is responsible for the holistic care of patients and of maintaining patients’ dignity throughout treatment and care.

Providing support and comfort – and to see a patient’s condition improving – gives her satisfaction, Maseti said.

“I work in a surgical ICU where we admit and discharge post-operative critical-care patients. We also receive patients from the trauma unit and surrounding hospitals who need critical care, like life support. I am responsible for closely observing patients, to provide accurate assessments and to monitor patients’ progress.

“My work is also to monitor vital signs, ensuring proper function of life- support equipment and to attend to patients’ overall needs like medication intake, feeding and bathing.

"I work with a multidisciplinary team to provide quality care and provide guidance to fellow nursing assistants.

“As an ICU nurse, I also assist doctors in invasive procedures, resuscitate unstable patients, help them with physical assessment and administer treatment.

“Providing support to a patient’s family and by answering questions about a patient’s progress is part of my job,” says Maseti, who has a decade’s experience in the public health service.

The Covid-19 pandemic has been stressful and demanding on many health workers, who have had to adapt in providing patient-centred care, she said.

“When it (the pandemic) started, it caused a lot of stress and uncertainty in the unit. Every patient had to be treated like a person under investigation.

"I had to adapt to wearing PPE and, when working with a Covid-19 patient, had to minimise contact with them, which is difficult in an ICU setting where one-to-one nursing care must be rendered.

“Wearing an N95 mask and visor makes it difficult to communicate and sometimes to comfort the patient. I also had to learn how to minimise exposure and transmission while working in a clinical setting.

“Providing us with the necessary PPE, and psychological help for those struggling to adapt, made it easier for us to come to work.

"Daily self-assessments and testing for those with symptoms brings comfort. The provision of contract staff to assist us during staff shortages has given us the necessary help to continue nursing care,” she added.

“Life is precious; we should appreciate one another because we don’t know what tomorrow might bring. We need to stay positive – this too shall pass.

“Covid-19 has shown that we can all work together as a team and give the best care to our patients. Don’t stigmatise, Covid-19 knows no boundaries.”

Cape Times