What have been the biggest challenges with you and your patients in the last 18 months?
The biggest challenges for me was physical/mental/emotional exhaustion. The 2nd biggest challenge was diagnosing a child via video visits. When it comes to children, a hands on exam provides key information for an accurate diagnosis. With COVID being so new, it was difficult to determine if symptoms were related to COVID or not. The biggest challenge for parents and patients were frustration and fear. They did not have the usual ease of coming in to be seen as needed. Testing for COVID was not as easily available as it is now. Everyone was fearful of contracting the disease and dying.
What kind of learning has gone on within the AMA consortium to help figure out new and better ways to adapt to med ed during the pandemic?
An AAP conference in the Fall of 2020 provided a comprehensive coverage of vaccine research. Education continues.
What do you think is the most important lesson we have learned from COVID-19?
Most important lesson learned = Slow down and appreciate family, friends, home, and self. Work is not everything.
What has medicine learned from this disruption created by COVID-19? What will we be doing differently now?
– Video visits are helpful and valuable to an extent.
– Health professionals need mental health support, appreciation, and respect.
What research do you think is needed to better understand COVID-19?
Continue research on length of vaccine protection and effectiveness. True side effects of the vaccine. Publish reliable info in plain English on line.
What do you think could be done to better to prevent the spread of COVID-19?
Prevent COVID spread: VACCINATE! Masks. Distance.
How do you think we should combat mental illness do to the backlash of COVID-19?
Make supportive services easily available. Minimize Trumpisms and Republicanisms. Address or respond to them in an educated scientifically sound way or ignore them.
What are the effects that you are seeing in your patients?
– Adolescents: Anxiety, dry skin disorders, want the vaccine even if parents fear it.
– 2+ years: Enjoy wearing their masks unless disabled.
Schools should embed students in health care systems, teach team-based care and stress the crucial link between population health, social determinants. When do you think this should be implemented and why?
Implement ASAP! They need to learn that there’s more to the world than their immediate surroundings and family life, ie, broaden their perspectives.
Medical schools should harness the strongest aspects of their curriculums to create “centers of excellence” in which students can freely study a specialized aspect of medicine. This also allows students to move fluidly through a “network of centers across the country” to “build their own education,” do you believe that this is the future of medical education?
Centers of excellence to study specialized aspect of medicine = important. Move more fluidly through network of centers – yes = enrichment. Build own education? This may create a rift among physicians rather than a cohesive team.