They joined Covid units to save lives
A feeling of powerlessness and a sense of duty pervade the discussion with Claire, Melanie, Charline and Thomas. All four are therapy specialists at Acute with an average of 10 years of experience in intensive care units. They have been helping in the ICUs in charge of Covid-19 patients.
They all use the same combative language, are eager to join the teams fighting the illness and frustrated of not being able to help immediately.
“I couldn’t sleep with the number of patients increasing”
When Claire realized that the intensive care units in her department were under control, she left for the greater Paris region to make sure she could be useful. She received a call 36 hours after her registration on the site of the Health Reserve and joined the AP-HP for 15 days, sleeping in a hotel during the whole period. Mélanie followed a similar path; she is based in Strasbourg as a reinforcement until the end of April. "As soon as I obtained Baxter's authorization, I registered and quickly received a call for a mission.”
As for Charline, she didn’t hesitate very long, even though she is a young mother. “It took me a few days to decide but I knew I was more useful in an intensive care unit than at home.”
Like her, Thomas also contacted the hospital managers directly to tell them he wanted to join their departments. “ I knew I could help and offer very useful skills. In 4 days I trained nearly 80 people on the assembly, use, handling and sensitive aspects of our extra-renal purification machines. I receive phone calls from southern France with questions about these machines. All the health workers that I know have my phone number, which is also stuck on our machines just in case.” Florence who is in the same sector in Marseille, where needs are now decreasing, also registered and is ready if she is called.
Claire, Mélanie and Charline: immersed in the Covid units
All three describe waking up before 6am with 12-hour workdays, night work or working 50 hours a week to care for critical, intubated patients. Within minutes of their arrival, they are immersed in an environment that is of course familiar but completely in turmoil. All kinds of health workers are mobilized: staff from operating rooms, recovery rooms, outpatient surgery... In Charline’s unit in the Paris area “reinforcements come from everywhere with everybody helping”. “I have a post-it stuck on my forehead with my first name written on it” Mélanie explains. Human resources are deployed but the capacity to adapt in record time is also a surprise to them. “Hospitals did a considerable amount of work to transform conventional departments into intensive care units. The unit I’m in now has 52 beds, against 20 usually”, says Claire.
A feeling of empathy for patients and caregivers
In spite of the sense of urgency, she is “struck and saddened by the patients’ loneliness. Caregivers unfortunately do not have the time to talk to them. Even though they are in a semi-coma, they sometimes reach out by squeezing our hands.”
Finally, the extreme kindness of all the caregivers plays a key role in this fight and is unanimously shared. "Amidst the daily chaos and psychological damage, there are no tensions, in fact there is a great sense of solidarity between the carers. Only the patients count." The daily applause, the meals offered, the messages of support (...) all these things help them keep up their morale. "but the teams are exhausted, their workload is overwhelming. »
Mélanie emphasizes the teams' deep commitment, and is "moved by the doctors and caregivers who, when they are ill and must stay at home, feel as if they were abandoning their colleagues. They feel guilty. These breaks are often a very difficult experience”.
An intense, unprecedented experience of great solidarity
For Claire, many messages are expressed through the eyes, especially solidarity. “We do not recognize each other among caregivers. We don’t have time to talk either, only our eyes are uncovered.” In Charline’s unit where “some have never done intensive care, training is necessary but every bit of help counts. Missions are allocated according to each person’s abilities and resilience. It is a human adventure. I wasn’t expecting such a brutal reality. My first patient was my age.”
Mélanie says she is very happy that Baxter let her do this. “It is consistent with my values. Management immediately had the right attitude, allowing us to join the caregiver teams. It is important to be supported by the whole BU and all the members of our team who will answer our phones while we are on this mission.”
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