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Ebola – Need for preparedness

by efn efn

On 8 December, the EFN Secretary General met the National representatives to DG Sanco and the ECDC Chief Scientist, Mr Mike Catchpole, to discuss the state of art of the EU coordination mechanism for Ebola patients’ evacuation which is now fully operative. However, although 13 patients were evacuated to Member States, we still need to cope with many unknowns and little evidence to develop robust policies and procedures.

The ECDC tutorial on Personal and Protective Equipment (PPE), on ‘Donning & Doffing’, is key for nurses to secure their working conditions. The importance of a Clinical Network, a platform for clinicians, hosted by the ECDC, will facilitate the exchange of views, and will contribute to find answers to many open questions from clinicians, including nurses and infection control nurses, which play a crucial role dealing with Ebola.

The EFN considers performing a survey to measure the gap of preparedness and identify the needs for capacity building. It is crucial that National Nurses Associations participate in the identification of the existing gaps in preparedness! The EFN President and Secretary General will meet in January 2015 the Commissioner for Health, Vytenis Andriukaitis.