Nurses Rely on Teamwork, Technology and Compassion While Caring for COVID-19 Patients

Intensive care unit nurses at Cedars-Sinai in California are caring for some of the sickest patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. The team’s ultimate goal: limit exposure to the virus as much as possible.

By creating new tactics, the team is enhancing its ability to work together and deliver high-quality, compassionate patient care. Team members limit the opening of patients’ doors and control the number of nurses entering rooms at the same time. Nurses outside the room are busy answering supply requests written on door windows or pulling out full trash bags to limit crucial exposure time for environmental services staff. Nurses rely on technology too, such as using smart devices like Alexa and tablets to connect isolated patients with their loved ones.

Nurses at Cedars-Sinai Marina del Rey Hospital and Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles describe their experiences in a video diary shared on the health system’s website.