global health concern

One global health concern affecting Frederick, MD, and people worldwide is the COVID-19 pandemic. Frederick, like many other places, faced significant challenges during this time. Healthcare workers in Frederick faced immense pressure as hospitals dealt with surges in COVID-19 cases. There were concerns about adequate resources, such as personal protective equipment and hospital beds. Additionally, the pandemic exacerbated existing health disparities, impacting vulnerable populations disproportionately. For those I care for, the pandemic brought about stress, fear, and uncertainty. Older adults and those with underlying health conditions were particularly vulnerable, requiring extra precautions and isolation to stay safe. Mental health also became a significant concern as people dealt with the effects of isolation, anxiety, and grief.

Electronic health records (EHRs) in nursing practice contain a wealth of data that can be used for surveillance purposes to monitor and improve patient outcomes, identify trends, and support evidence-based practice, such as Demographic data, Clinical encounters, medications, diagnosis and condition, and laboratory results.

A tweet from the Frederick County government advises the public, which will impact future collaborative trends in community health, to stay up to date with immunizations, to find a COVID-19 or flu vaccine near them, to practice good hygiene, and to take steps to cleaner air. Also, they are advised to take precautions when they may have a respiratory virus to use precautions to prevent spread. They should seek health care promptly for testing and/or treatment if they have risk factors for severe illness because treatment may help lower the risk of severe disease. Order four free COVID-19 tests per household from the federal government while supplies will last, impacting future collaboration.

Tweet: Covid-19 vaccination update and information. #gethelp #Getvaccinated #Preventthespread #knowtheriskfactors

References

Nies, M. A., & McEwen, M. (2019). Community/Public health nursing: Promoting the health of populations (7th ed.). Saunders/Elsevier.

Timothy O. Ihongbe, Jae-Eun C. Kim, Heather Dahlen, Elissa C. Kranzler, Kate Seserman, Kenneth Moffett, Leah Hoffman, Trends in primary, booster, and updated COVID-19 vaccine readiness in the United States, January 2021–April 2023: Implications for 2023–2024 updated COVID-19 vaccines, Preventive Medicine, Volume 180, 2024. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ypmed.2024.107887Links to an external site.

https://www.frederickcountymd.gov/8094/COVID-19-Da…

https://health.maryland.gov/COVID/Pages/default.as…