The Effect COVID-19 Has Had on Medical Practices

The COVID-19 pandemic has infected millions of people and killed hundreds of thousands throughout the globe, and in many places, both of these numbers will continue to rise. Broadly speaking, COVID-19 has had devastating impacts on businesses in every part of the world. Thankfully, areas with robust healthcare networks have shown resilience to the pandemic, proving that this disease can be treated and cured while its spread can be eliminated. However, medical practices have been negatively impacted by COVID-19. Here's a review of just how regular medicine has been forced to change by this pandemic.

Delayed Surgeries & Routine Procedures

At the onset of this outbreak, there was real concern about the availability of Personal Protective Equipment for doctors, nurses, and health care facilities, in addition to fears of running out of critical drugs or equipment like ventilators. Many health care facilities implemented emergency measures to ration the distribution of PPE. Since that time, some of these fears have abated, while others have not. However, there was and is a real fear of running out of these critical supplies. Furthermore, many health care facilities began to fear what would happen if people visited a hospital and contracted COVID. If someone was particularly ill, or already had one of the pre-existing conditions that made them particularly vulnerable to COVID-19, contracting the illness could prove fatal. As a result, many elective surgeries, well-exams, and routine procedures (such as vaccinations) were temporarily delayed. This was meant to keep as many people out of health care facilities as possible and to conserve limited PPE. Many well-exams and vaccinations were delayed as well. Thankfully, many regions throughout the United States now believe that they are past the peak of this illness. As a result, many have restarted elective surgeries and are encouraging their patients to return to medical offices. Some have even gone as far as creating "COVID-free" hospitals, filtering their COVID-patients to alternative care sites.

A Fear of Hospitals and an Increase in Deaths

While this fear of visiting a health care office and delaying non-life threatening procedures is understandable, it has had unintended and deadly consequences. As noted by the Washington Post, hospitals across the nation were seeing an increase in deaths that were not related to Corona. In many cases, these deaths came from people who suffered from preventable heart conditions, asthma attacks, or strokes. They often suffered from a variety of symptoms which could have indicated a sickness that was treatable at the hospital. Unfortunately, many of these patients declined medical care, fearing that visiting an Emergency Room would expose them to COVID-19. Other sources bore out the data presented in this article, showing a decrease in ambulance rides that were not related to Corona, but an increase in non-Corona deaths. As a result of this practice, many medical offices, health care facilities, and governmental authorities began to shift their messaging, urging patients to visit hospitals if they felt ill. This phenomenon was also partially responsible for the creation of areas that were advertised as "corona free" health care centers. Furthermore, many Emergency Rooms and health care networks have begun to explicitly market to their patients - and particularly their at-risk ounces - urging them to visit health care facilities if they are ill and reminding them of the various health care options at their disposal, including the ability to visit a doctor by electronic means.

A Shifting Model

Doctors and health care facilities have been amongst the loudest voices when it comes to encouraging people to stay at home and only leave unless absolutely necessary. However, as a result, their practice has shifted as well, and more and more practices shift to a telemedicine model. Doctors and medical practices who are using this model are doing so by conducting exams and making diagnoses through the use of appropriate audio-visual material. This practice has proved to be very convenient for people who have internet access and the technological savvy to operate internet-devices or smartphones, although major challenges remain for rural and urban poor individuals who may not have appropriate internet access or the right type of equipment. Many types of practices have shifted to using this model, including some well-visits, ENT work, and mental health care through psychologists or psychiatrists. Medicine was already moving more and more in this direction, with many health networks seeing it as a way of enhancing access to underserved areas, increasing convenience, and maximizing the efficiency of their doctors and other practitioners. However, thanks to COVID-19, states and the federal government have taken a series of regulatory actions to enhance the use of this practice. For example, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid have made it easier for health care networks to be reimbursed for this practice during the pandemic, citing the need to keep as many patients at home as possible. There is no doubt about it: The COVID-19 epidemic has had a massive impact on the way that medicine is practiced throughout the world. How many of these changes will remain fully implemented remains to be seen, but it does appear likely that medical practice, as a whole, will be forever changed.