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OMNIA
Issue 08 Autumn/Winter 2020
doctors, developing new protocols and learning how to use the new ventilators brought in to help treat patients. So it’s been a tough couple of months and I am glad that things have started to settle down. How has your usual day at work changed since the COVID-19 outbreak?
There have been a couple of major changes to life as an ICU doctor as a result of the outbreak. The main one is having to wear PPE when we are on the ward with patients. PPE is horribly uncomfortable and warm. It makes spending 4 –6 hours on the ward feel like being in the Sahara Desert.
Ohis Ojo (OC 2006 – 2012) F2 Doctor North West Critical Care Network
How have you been the last few months?
We’ve had over 300 patients admitted to ICU since the beginning of March (for comparison, we usually admit 300 patients to ICU in a year). In order to accommodate the increased number of ICU patients we had to triple the ICU capacity overnight which involved training new ICU
What are some of the biggest challenges you have had to face?
What I have found most difficult about this crisis is how patients have died: alone, with their families distanced at home. Calling relatives to tell them that their love ones are critically unwell and are unlikely to survive the night is a harrowing experience. What have you learnt from this experience?
The importance of Emerging Infections Surveillance. We may be on the other side of this outbreak; however, we must
remain wary of another outbreak in the future. This will require increasing funding to infectious disease surveillance organisations, improving food safety and antibiotic stewardship. What positive things have you experienced during this time?
From ICU nurses who spent several hours sweating in PPE to the patient who spent almost 60 days intubated and ventilated on ICU only to walk out of hospital on his own two feet, during this period of crisis I have been blessed to have seen the very best in human spirit. What advice do you have for the school community on trying to stay positive during this crisis?
In August 2020 we (a group of healthcare professionals based in UK and Italy) will have run/walked the distance from London to Lombardy (the epicentre of in the COVID outbreak in Italy). This was our way of starting the process of healing in a positive way after this terrible pandemic. Every step taken raised money for ICU steps – a charity that helps support the families and victims of COVID. If you would like to donate and for more information please search london2lombardy.com