Phase 0 of the de-escalation is the starting pistol on the road to the new normality. This stage has helped to resume the activity of doctors and different specialists who, due to the situation and in order to protect the health of their patients and their own, had remained with their offices or clinics closed or managing only urgent patients who needed face-to-face appointments. Now that they have resumed their activity, they must learn to establish the appropriate measures and take the utmost precautions to carry out their work with the utmost caution.
In order to avoid contagion and therefore the spread of the virus, Top Doctors, an online platform for finding and contacting the best medical specialists in private healthcare, offers 8 tips to help doctors and healthcare professionals in the reopening of their practices, informing them of all the existing possibilities to carry out their professional activity at the best possible pace for their business, as well as to protect the health of patients and experts.
- Reestablish contact and inform patients of the opening: it is important to dedicate the first few days to informing all patients of the reactivation of the activity, and the conditions under which it will be carried out, through social networks, telephone calls or by email.
- Combine face-to-face assistance and telemedicine: the new normality does not allow 100% recovery of the rhythm. Therefore, it is advisable to open the consultation 2 or 3 days a week to attend in person to the most urgent patients whose appointments were pending before the health crisis, thus avoiding the possible health consequences of further delays. The rest of the patients can be attended telematically through instant messaging or video consultation.
- Activate the online image: now more than ever, the use of the Internet to make oneself known is more important than ever. This network has prevailed over other more traditional advertising models to promote the professional image and to be known among patients. It is important to appear with a well-groomed image and with the information that patients are looking for on the net. At the same time, its use makes it possible to break the barriers of space and time, and to have a presence in new territories and therefore among new patients.
- Use of new technological tools that support telemedicine: It is important to use new telematic systems to carry out procedures such as the request for electronic medical prescriptions and to exchange documents or medical records easily, quickly and with total security in the process, avoiding patient travel to the consultation room.
- Knowing the patient’s condition before the appointment: it is advisable to carry out a short questionnaire to patients 24 hours before they come to the consultation, to rule out a possible case of COVID-19, or to find out whether or not travel is necessary after analyzing the severity or need of the patient.
- Prior appointment and greater safety measures: to avoid the concentration of patients in the consultation rooms, it is advisable to establish a correct and meticulous organization of the appointment schedule, assigning sufficient time for patient care and a margin of time afterwards to carry out the necessary cleaning and disinfection tasks. At the same time, and in case the calculated times are extended, it is important to adapt the waiting room so that there is a distance of one and a half meters between patients, and that it has hydroalcoholic disinfectant gels for hands or other protective materials, such as masks or gloves for patients who come without the necessary protective equipment. For the patient’s peace of mind, specialists should put on new gloves and masks in front of the patient, as well as any other PPE.
- Reinforce the cleaning and disinfection service of the medical office and medical facilities: WHO advises the use of ethyl alcohol for disinfection of medical equipment and surfaces. It is also advisable to reinforce the cleaning and disinfection of the medical office and medical facilities, soaking instruments in disinfectant after use with each patient, ventilating and cleaning the room and furniture.
- Activate prepayment tools or charge by card. If the appointment requires payment for the consultation, this should be done by card, prepaid wallet tool, or other telematic systems to avoid the exchange of money, which can be subject to spread of the virus.
“From Top Doctors we have been working on technological solutions to improve as much as possible the serious socio-health situation in which we found ourselves, tools that we are sure are going to be part of the new reality for everyone. We have launched an immediate consultation system to resolve patients’ doubts in 2 minutes and, in addition, we have offered our Telemedicine service free of charge to any doctor who needs it and we have completed the tools we offer with electronic medical prescriptions and a platform for the exchange of medical documents, all with the aim of helping patients to continue taking care of their health without having to leave home”, assures Alberto E. Porciani, CEO and Founder of Top Doctors.
Finally, it is important to always follow the governmental recommendations marked in each of the phases of de-escalation in which each province or municipality finds itself.