CONTRIBUTING WRITER | By Dr. Rafael E. Torres
Be proactive with your health
I
t is going to take some time and reflection for us to assess the many ways that COVID-19 has changed our lives, especially the way we approach health care and take care of ourselves. But one thing has been strikingly apparent right from the onset: patients who require essential medical care have instead chosen to wait to get help. A survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that close to 50% of patients chose to stay home and put off their medical care during the pandemic. As physicians, this is concerning, especially if you consider life-threatening conditions like chest pain, shortness of breath or other troubling symptoms. Pre-COVID-19, a patient with these symptoms would have generally not hesitated to get to the emergency department for medical evaluation and
treatment. As COVID-19 cases and fears escalated, many patients understandably stayed home out of fear for safety and to help flatten the curve. This was a double-edged sword. While delaying nonessential visits helped our frontline teams focus on fighting COVID, we’ve reached an inflection point. Now, delaying care is no longer necessary, and it’s dangerous.
SAFETY IS PARAMOUNT
COVID-19 has made us all anxious, but going to the doctor shouldn’t be a scary experience. Health care institutions have learned from this pandemic and it is safe to come to the hospital or your physician’s practice. For example, White Plains Hospital has implemented numerous practices to safeguard the health of our patients and staff. When you seek
emergency care at our facility, you will be immediately screened by a health care professional. This allows us to quickly assess your needs and determine the best path of care. Patients who are suspected of having COVID are treated in a separate area of the hospital, reducing risk of exposure to others. Additionally, for those patients who may not need to be admitted, a virtual visit may be offered to help expedite their care. Throughout every area of our hospital and at our outpatient offices, we have instituted rigorous protocols to accelerate the process, limit unnecessary interactions and keep you safe. While infection control has always been a priority, the hospital is now being disinfected an additional four times more per shift, using UV light to disinfect our examination rooms and surgical suites.
DON’T DELAY CARE
Seeing your physician when needed is the best way to prioritize your health. Regular well-visits and routine screenings, like mammograms and colonoscopies, should now all resume and emergences cannot be ignored. During the pandemic a question that circulated throughout the medical community was, “Where have all the heart attacks and strokes gone?” Unfortunately, emergencies like those do not go on pause and for all diseases we know that the odds of recovery increase through early detection. Certain symptoms, like chest pain, require urgent evaluation and treatment. However, signs of serious illnesses are not always so clear cut and may be ignored. In the case of heart attack, symptoms can include trouble swallowing or pain that intensifies by breathing deeply or coughing. Similarly, with stroke, patients can experience a sudden or severe headache or loss of balance or fainting. Time is of essence for health issues like these and delaying can be deadly. For noncritical care, delays can make recovery more challenging. Routine surgery can turn more complex, resulting in longer hospital stays and increased cost of care. If you’ve experienced an orthopedic issue, like a fracture or injury, know that “toughing it out” can make full recovery even more difficult.
BE PROACTIVE WITH YOUR WELLNESS
As health care providers, we’re trained to deal with the most challenging illnesses while keeping our patients and healthcare teams safe. Through technological innovations, collaboration with our healthcare partners, and guidance from governing health bodies, we are here for our patients when they need us. If you’re a business owner, protect your most important asset — your employees — by encouraging them to get their annual screenings and physical exams. If you’re an employee, prioritize your health and the health of your loved ones and schedule any exams you’ve delayed. As a recent patient who sought treatment in our emergency department noted, “Your symptoms are more important than your fears.” Let’s all work together to do the important business of staying healthy, now and in the future. Dr. Rafael E. Torres is director of emergency medicine at White Plains Hospital and leads a clinical team that consists of board-certified physicians and Magnet nurses, all highly skilled in emergency medicine. To find a physician, call 914-849-MyMD.
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JUNE 15, 2020
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