Here is a food for thought - Is our commitment to our community putting our families at home at avoidable risk?
There are many tough questions.
How does one triage patients? How does one keep themselves, their staff and their family safe? Should we shut down clinics? Do I see only patients who have an emergency? When I do so, am I safe? Should I rather do online consultations for them and see only my regular patients in-person? In the latter case, how do I ensure social distancing and protect the community?
The million dollar question - Am I trying to cure people or am I, inadvertently, spreading the disease in these dismal times?
As health workers we do need to be cognizant of the risks we face, but where do we draw the line between what is an acceptable risk and what is not? We are the frontliners in the health system, the first point of contact for our patients. Is our health system prepared to support us and help patients with COVID-19?
It is time we introspect and make changes in the routines of our clinics to keep ourselves safe? There would be the question of affordability. Can we, as family physicians, afford the cost of a separate uniform for clinics, PPEs for ourselves and our staff, and disinfection of our clinics everyday? Can we have housekeeping staff to clean surfaces and door knobs after each patient? How do we sustain then? The government would have to provide support to us should we function this way.
Let's discuss viable options. One that I thought of and wrote for all my patients is this:
📢 In these difficult times of COVID-19 infection, we pray for your safety and good health wherever you are 🙏🏻
Staying at home🏡 and maintaining social distancing is the key to stop the spread of the Novel Corona Virus🦠.
⚡️You are at risk, but your consultant doctor is at an equal and perhaps more perpetual risk⚡️.
If you have symptoms of fever🤒 , cough😷 , cold🤧 or breathing difficulty🤢 and if you have a recent history of travel✈️ or contact, Please consult the doctor👩🏻⚕️ online🖥️ using Google hangout.
Hope this initiative of online video consultation helps all. 📱📲Please spread the message and help one another.
Do you feel it is justified?
Online consultations could be the silver lining of the dark clouds that these challenging times are.