A survey of more than 75 hospitals in four states has shown there are still gaps in many hospitals’ response to the H1N1 pandemic response, according to the California Nurses Association/National Organizing Committee (CNA/NNOC). Facilities in California, Illinois, Nevada, and Maine participated in the survey.

Some of the findings include:

• At least one-third of hospitals have had infected patients
• Nurses or other healthcare workers in more than 12% of hospitals were infected
• Nurses in more than 10% of hospitals don’t have access to N-95 respirator masks
• In more than a quarter of the hospitals, nurses were expected to re-use masks
• In 20% of hospitals, nurses said proper infection control procedures were not followed
• More than a third of hospitals have failed to properly explain H1N1 hospital policies to nurses

Many nurses have spoken out on the topic, especially after the death of a Sacramento, CA nurse, who was 51, and the recent firing of a University of California San Francisco nurse who protested to management about inadequate safety measures that she believed contributed to her H1N1 infection.

What do you think? How is your facility helping you safeguard against infection?