It is That Time of Year Again... Flu Season!

“Influenza (the flu) is a viral infection that affects mainly the nose, throat, bronchi and, occasionally, lungs. Infection usually lasts for about a week, and is characterized by sudden onset of high fever, aching muscles, headache and severe malaise, non-productive cough, sore throat and rhinitis” (World Health Organization, 2008)

Flu symptoms can be mild or severe and include:

• Fever/Chills

• Headache

• Muscle aches

• Extreme tiredness

• Dry cough/Runny nose

• Nausea, Vomiting, Diarrhea

The flu is easily spread through coughing and/or sneezing and can spread rapidly during seasonal epidemics (World Health Orgaznization, 2008). Getting the flu shot is very important. According to the Public Health Agency of Canada the flu shot prevents (annually) 300 flu related deaths in Ontario, 1000 hospitalizations, 30 000 visits to the emergency room and 200 000 visits to the doctors’ offices (2008).

The flu shot is free and is available to anyone in Ontario over the age of 6 months old who has a valid Ontario Health Card.

It is very important for any health care professional to get the flu shot because they are working with the vulnerable which includes the very young, the very old, and the very ill patients who are at a higher risk of catching the flu with major complications such as pneumonia and death.

Culture

I have only been in school for 3 months and I have already learned some very important values from nursing that I will be able to relate in my everyday life. The main value I have learned is the importance of getting to know all the cultures that our world has to offer. As a nurse I will have the opportunity to meet people with different values and beliefs every day. If I am not familiar with the cultures which surround me then I will be unable to provide appropriate care for my patients. In many of our classes we have learned the unique beliefs that many cultures and religions have that prevent the individuals within those cultures to receive “appropriate” health care. Some examples I have learned so far is that a Muslim man or woman is only comfortable receiving care with their same gender, a scientologist needs silence in the operating room, and an Amish person must have permission from their minister before they go through with a medical procedure. Knowing this information is very important to know because when in an emergency situation as a nurse I will be prepared for what is coming. As an example if I have a patient who is a female and a Muslim who has just arrived from a car accident I will be sure to only allow women in the room to respect her beliefs rather than if I was not aware of these beliefs and allowed men to be in the room. Having men in the room could take up valuable time because we would have to try to find women health care providers that are available to help but they may all be busy and then helping my patient would be put on hold which could be life threatening.

Is technology helping or hindering when it comes to overcoming communication barriers?

I believe that overcoming communication barriers is being hindered by the use of technology. When looking at the definition of communication you can say that it is composed of words, voice, tone, and non verbal cues. Communicating through any type of technology makes it very difficult to interpret these aspects. Technology produces words which are only 7% effective in conveying the message compared to an individual’s tone of voice which is said to be 38% effective and their non verbal cues which are 55% effective in a one on one conversation. Effective communication also depends on the assurance that the message has been sent which is very important when talking with patients. It is hard to get that assurance when you are unable to interpret the nonverbal responses from the individual in which you are communicating with.