The pandemic in healthcare professionals

José Joaquín Mira
 

The COVID-19 pandemic represents an unprecedented challenge for healthcare systems around the world. To the initial uncertainty, the scarcity of equipment and the difficulties in maintaining the supply chain were added the constant changes in instructions, the interruption of all non-delayed care, the isolation of hospitalized patients (many dying alone) and unprecedented acute stress on healthcare staff, particularly those dedicated to direct care of COVID-19 patients. The term second victims of SARS-CoV-2 have been used by our group, and by others, to describe this experience.

Does anyone think about “the day after”?

Joan Escarrabill

It's all over. It's the way of life, as my grandmother would say. Health problems can end in different ways: a very specific treatment (the magic bullet), changes in the environment (sewerage and sanitary control of water), adaptation and coexistence with the disease (now there are people with tuberculosis, but we don’t need sanatoriums) and, for sure, we would still find others. The same thing will happen with the COVID-19 pandemic. Perhaps we will mitigate the impact of the pandemic with vaccines, perhaps we will have better diagnostic tools, and perhaps we will be better organized to follow up on cases or a combination of all of the above. It’s likely that, in the end, we will carry on living a long time with a highly contagious disease that, in some cases, has very serious consequences. What is certain is that this tension caused by the successive waves of the pandemic will end.

Remote visits, are they always the best option?

Glòria Galvez

By Healthwatch Dorset 

The coronavirus pandemic has had an explosive and profound impact on health care systems, especially concerning traditional care. Presently, in addition to caring for patients affected by a coronavirus, it’s necessary to continue caring for the "invisible patient", who is still there, affected by other pathologies evolving at their usual pace, some of them potentially severe. Remote visits, which in a short time has gone from being a rare modality to being the usual form of interaction with the patient, are presented as the best option to carry out their follow-up, thus avoiding crowded waiting rooms and the risk of infection.

Primary care gaps: what's failing and how can we fix it?

Pere Vivó

The health crisis is placing unprecedented strain on the health care system and in particular on primary care. Saturated agendas, disorganized demand and forced abandonment of some functions to assume new competencies, all added to the social crisis and the extra demand on the part of some users have as a result a generalized discouragement and psychological exhaustion of professionals.

The power of conversation, according to Danielle Ofri

Jordi Varela
Editor

 

Danielle Ofri, an internist at Bellevue Hospital and professor of medicine at New York University, is recognized for her work on the emotional aspect of clinical practice and its impact on the diagnostic process and the effectiveness of treatments. Danielle Ofri has already deserved the care of our blog on several previous occasions and now we return to her with her latest book, What Patients Say, What Doctors Hear.