As public health authorities moved to calm fears about the risk from Ebola, lawyers last week urged health care and other clients to take precautions against spreading the potentially fatal disease ? and to mitigate attendant lawsuits. Since the Oct. 8 death in Dallas of Liberian national Thomas Eric Duncan, questions have surfaced about whether the hospital and the doctors and nurses who treated him followed adequate protocols. Two nurses who treated Duncan have been diagnosed with Ebola. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has attempted to assure the public that the disease is under control, but its handling of the situation was assailed during a congressional hearing on Oct. 16. Meanwhile, hospitals and medical providers crafted contingency plans in case the virus arrives at their doorstep.
In a social media landscape shaped by hashtags, algorithms, and viral posts, nurse leaders must decide: Will they let the narrative spiral, or can they adapt and join the conversation?
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