The first thing that helps us as individuals deal with an epidemic or pandemic is the acquisition of adequate knowledge about the agent causing the emergency, how it is transmitted, its clinical picture, and how it is diagnosed. Furthermore, knowing the emergency cycle helps us understand how these emergencies are managed and the objective of each phase of the emergency cycle. This knowledge puts us in a better position to ensure our safety and the safety of our patients and families.

Protecting yourself, your colleagues, your patients, your families, and visitors from acquiring infection during health care is the main strategy for controlling an epidemic or pandemic within a healthcare facility. This is accomplished through two main sets of precautions. Standard precautions for all patients at all times and the application of transmission-based precautions to all patients with potential or confirmed infections (COVID-19) that are transmitted via contact, droplet, and airborne routes.

The pandemic is a prolonged emergency, where the situation is unlikely to resolve quickly, This creates a huge overload especially when  an emotional labour It is therefore of extra importance that your own wellbeing is looked after. You can take steps to reduce the amount of strain you experience. You can promote your wellbeing by knowing how to connect with others, setting goals, keeping active, and setting your boundaries.

We all get affected by emergencies such as disease outbreaks, however, we react differently to these situations. Some cope well while others start to show signs of distress and sometimes panic. It is important to acquire basic psychosocial skills to help people cope with such situations. Psychological first aid is a tool that we can all use to help each other deal with the prolonged and difficult time course of a pandemic.

We as healthcare providers who are at the sharp end do have a role to play in avoiding the occurrence of patient safety incidents. Individual mindfulness is an approach that helps us become error-wise by recognizing the situations that can lead to safety incidents. Heightened risk awareness is something that many healthcare professionals acquire as a result of long experience in the field, however, such awareness can be acquired through education and training and sustained in the presence of collective mindfulness and support from supervisors and organization leadership.