HEALTH
IS THE CORONAVIRUS KEEPING YOU
AWAY FROM YOUR DOCTORS?
The threat of COVID-19
appears to be changing how
many people think about going to
the doctor or the dentist. Patients,
health care practitioners and
experts alike say the coronavirus
and strategies to avoid it are
changing the ways people seek
health care.
Semi-retired teacher Riki
Bolster of Atlanta
has seen some
of the changes
close up. She has
appointments every
three months with
her rheumatologist.
This year, her March
appointment was
done virtually, over
the internet. In June,
she returned to the
clinic where her
doctor works to find
things had changed.
“I saw lots of
[personal protective
equipment],
individuals at
the entrance to
each hallway asking questions,
checking your temp, giving you
a sticker to say where you were
going,” Bolster said. “Everybody
wore masks — all staff, doctors,
patients. I think they were
spacing time between patients,
as I did have to wait longer than
usual,” said Bolster.
And the chairs in the waiting
area “were cordoned off so no
one would sit too close to the
next person. All the protective
COVID-19 protocol made me feel
safer.”
But as they make changes to
accommodate their patients’
safety, some hospitals and
doctors have expressed
concerns that fear of “catching”
the coronavirus has patients
foregoing treatment for some
small problems — from ingrown
toenails to sore throats —
that could cause them future
difficulties.
A recent study by the Prevent
Cancer Foundation found that
43 percent of American adults
had missed routine medical
appointments because of
COVID-19.
“The survey shows that, in the
wake of the pandemic, people
are afraid to go to their doctors.
Understandably, there is a lot of
fear about exposure to the virus.
What we need everyone to know
is that missing appointments
puts you at
much higher
risk for serious
health issues,
such as cancer,”
Carolyn “Bo”
Aldige, founder
and CEO of the
Foundation said
in a press release.
“Americans
should get medical
appointments
back on the books
and schedule their
physicals and
routine cancer
screenings.”
Here’s a look
at other areas
and other ways the coronavirus
is changing reactions to health
care, at least in the short run.
From the Medical Office
Manager’s Perspective
Chris Jueschke, office manager
of at Peachtree-Dunwoody
Medical Associates in Sandy
Springs, said strategies about
dealing with the virus have
varied and have changed over
time.
“We saw a wide range of
preferences among patients, and
did our best to meet everyone’s
personal needs,” he wrote in an
email. “In mid-March we saw
a lot of patients postpone their
appointments due to concern
about exposure to COVID-19,
but we also had many patients
who still chose to come into the
office. By the end of March, we
provided services exclusively via
telemedicine. This was for the
protection of both patients and
our staff.”
Judith L. Kanne,
RN, BSN, BA
is a registered nurse and
freelance writer who lives
in Atlanta.
unscheduled hiatus, only dealing
with rare emergency situations.
The American Dental
Association created an advisory
group to help dental practices
recover from the closings,
association president, Dr. Chad
P. Gehani said. “Our community
is in it together as we navigate
these trying times,” Gehani said
to his membership.
Peachtree
Dunwoody Dental
Group in Sandy
Springs was one of
the practices that
did not shut down
completely during
the early days of
the pandemic.
“We remained
open to handle
emergency
procedures at
first,” Dr. Jeremy
Rosenberg said.
“Most dentists
closed completely.
However, we
stayed open to
see emergencies,
but kept very
limited staff. It was
just myself, my
assistant and one
person up front,”
he said. We actually stayed
pretty busy just because people
had infections, or a broken
tooth requiring an immediate
extraction — while others
required root canals.”
His office, Rosenberg
said, always uses “universal
precautions so we were set
booked. For those patients who
come in, masks are mandatory,
and hand sanitizer is always
within reach.”
A Dental Office’s Perspective
Many dental practices
nationwide closed during
the early spread of COVID-19.
Preventive visits, such as
wellness visits and routine
checkups, were initially all
postponed, he said, but “we
resumed seeing patients in the
office on a limited basis in May,
and by June were back on a full
schedule. We continue to see
some patients postponing visits,
but demand keeps us pretty well
Jeremy Rosenberg
Heart attack
Stroke
Uncontrolled high
blood sugar
10%
Source: CDC/MMWR, June 26,2020 /69(25);795-800
Dentists, oral surgeons,
orthodontists, and others in
the field were forced to take an
there.”
And staying open paid off in
the long run. “Because we kept in
contact with patients, and saw
AUGUST 2020
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