Issue link: https://viewer.e-digitaledition.com/i/1338472
BY K ATY MENA-BERKLEY IN THE MIDST of the COVID-19 pandemic, physicians must still be able to provide care unrelated to the virus. And while telehealth can help providers stay connected with patients, there is no substitute for in-person care. The American Academy of Family Physicians understands the need to resume in-person care, but the organization is also aware that face-to-face visits may present different risks in various regions throughout the country. To help physicians determine whether the risks of reopening outweigh the benefits to the communities they serve, the A AFP recommends each physician consider factors unique to his or her region. These include: + Access to personal protective equipment + Availability of COVID-19 testing + Prevalence of COVID-19 cases + R e c om mend at ion s f r om s t at e -le vel hea lt h of f ici a l s and governors + Resources available to the practice, including finances, staff availability and telehealth capabilities If you elect to reopen your practice, communicate with your patients about steps you have taken to protect them when in your office. These should include: + Designated areas for healthy and sick patients + Mask wearing + Screening protocols + Temperature checks for patients and staff + Thorough sanitation measures If possible, also try to minimize the things that people must touch. For example, prop doors open or install sensors so that doors will open automatically. n BY FOLLOWING KE Y GUIDELINES, PHYSICIANS CAN CONFIDENTLY WELCOME PATIENTS BACK. Guidelines for Safely Reopening Your Practice "It was the best of both worlds," he remembers. "There was obstetrical experience but also a significant g ynecological experience. We were exposed to things in the operating room very early." The faculty, made up of attending physicians at the hospital, was engaged and committed to teaching, he says. They would show up early for rounds in the morning and help the residents to "question ourselves and our own understanding of the disease process and how we managed patients." Outside of the hospital, they provided other valuable guid- ance, asking residents: What would you like your career to be like? What kind of physician do you want to be? What are your interests outside of medicine? How can you seek to be a well-rounded person? Dr. Roberts particularly remembers a progressive dinner, where residents got to interact with the older physicians on a personal level. "They talked to us about life," he says. When his residency program ended, Dr. Roberts decided to stay in York, after doing fellowship training at St. Luke's University Hospital in Allentown. " The residency prog ra m is a foundationa l pa r t of why I stayed," he says. "The WellSpan Hea lth system a lso is a very strong system fina ncia lly a nd their mission a nd purpose are ones that I believe in. There is a lot of support for profes- siona l development." Dr. Roberts, who attended college on a soccer scholarship, got introduced to cycling by an attending physician in the resi- dency program. He now cycles five days a week, logging more than 100 miles. After being encouraged to think about his career, he became interested in administrative work and physician leadership, and he has served as the President of the WellSpan York Hospital medical staff. He also is now a faculty member in the obstetrics and gynecology residency program. William Unwin, MD, Chair of the WellSpan York Hospital Obstetrics & Gynecology Department, was one of the attending physicians who helped to train Dr. Roberts. He says the fact that Dr. Roberts, a former resident, stayed at WellSpan and now helps to train the next generation of physicians is part of the residency program's DNA. "People don't come to York and stay here unless they have an interest in teaching residents," Dr. Unwin says. "It's a collegial, friendly department that has always worked well together. We work to create an environment that fosters talented people wanting to stay here." n For more information on WellSpan as a teaching organization, visit WellSpanMedicalEducation.org. M D N E W S . C O M /// M D N E W S S O U T H C E N T R A L P E N N S Y LVA N I A ■ 2 0 21 2 1