Ebola Nurse In Dallas: Why One Texas Hospital Couldn't Contain Ebola

October 15, 2014

Jennifer Taylor, PhD, MPH, associate professor of Environmental and Occupational Health, discussed the safety of first responders and medical professionals with the International Business Times. Factors such as high patient loads, inadequate training and workplace conditions could make it difficult to ensure other health care workers treating Ebola won't contract the virus, said Taylor, who studies safety issues in medical settings. "The U.S. health care system focuses on patients, but doesn't necessarily focus on the people who care for them. So it does seem that this hospital did a great job of getting her all the protective gear that she needed, which is great. That's not always the case. But did she have all the training she needed?" Taylor said of the first nurse infected with Ebola in Dallas. "Are we prioritizing worker safety as we prioritize patient safety? She might have done everything she could for that patient to the best of her ability, but was she thinking of herself? Was the hospital thinking about her safety? Unfortunately, she is providing everyone the ability to think of this."

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