Comparing the Spanish flu and COVID-19 pandemics: Lessons to carry forward.

Nurs Forum

Office of Nursing Practice, Nurse Research Consultant, Sanford Health, Fargo, North Dakota, USA.

Published: April 2021

AI Article Synopsis

  • Both World War I and the Spanish influenza pandemic shaped life in the early 1900s, just as the COVID-19 pandemic is reshaping ours, highlighting the fragility of healthcare and public health systems.
  • Since effective treatments were unavailable during these pandemics, nurses played a crucial role in battling the diseases, underscoring their importance in any health crisis.
  • To prepare for future pandemics, we must learn from past experiences, emphasizing continuous preparation, community care coordination, and equipping nurses with essential resources and training.

Article Abstract

Just as people living in the early 1900s experienced the horrors of World War I followed by the Spanish influenza epidemic, those of us surviving the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic will have our lives forever changed. Both pandemics defied the capabilities of prevailing healthcare and public health. Since there was no known cure in either pandemic, much depended on nurses to fight the battle against the viruses. History has shown pandemics are occurring more frequently and are unpredictable in timing and severity. Therefore, we need to place focus on the valuable lessons from the century's two pandemics to prepare for future global disease outbreaks. Lessons that will benefit nursing are the importance of continual preparation and planning, care coordination across communities and healthcare systems, and ensuring nurses have the necessary resources and training to perform their roles in an effective and safe manner.

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Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/nuf.12534DOI Listing

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