Pandemic Flu: Are We Ready for the Next Wave?

The current H1N1 influenza epidemic continue to tax emergency departments worldwide. The first wave in late spring 2009 overwhelmed nurses with both the ill and the anxious well, subsided as schools closed for the summer, surged again in late summer as schools reopened, and continued into the fall. The second wave was particularly impressive with the number of patients visiting some ED visits doubling in just a few days. Here, McMahon elaborates the degree of emergency nurses' preparedness for the possibility of a third wave. According to her, preparing for this devastating pandemic influenza has been a government and public health priority for a number of years.