The public is reluctant in visiting the doctor in this pandemic and is not reaching for the health care that is needed and some are succumbing to the illness which can otherwise be treated. A patient traveling by public means need to check on the appointment as per the new schedules as there are limited vehicles on the road.

From the reception desk while taking the appointments please check with the procedures and the protocol to enter the building and have a clear idea about which kind of mask one must wear. Patience is a must in this season of the pandemic, as the check-in protocol to the doctors’ office might take longer and request you to stay in the car and not be seated in the office. Also, the waiting room might be different for the one who is sick, and for the one who is fine here one needs to understand the situation and not panic or overreact.

The doctor’s office also has to play a major role in scheduling the appointments to the patients. The patient with greater health ailment must be prioritized over minor issues. The patients who are susceptible to the infection must be given an appointment only when the patient count is least. Patients with COVID 19 exposure or symptoms must be given an appointment at the end of the day and must be kept in a separate room.

 Offices must avoid people accompanying patients in all the cases possible except for the kids and the aged. Offices must also incorporate contact less registration and payment methodology. The high touch areas in the Doctor’s Office must be disinfected frequently. The books and other materials in the waiting area must be removed for the time being.  Also, the office staff must be given a frequent cycle of hand sanitization considering their safety as well.

All the staff must be subjected to the temperature check during the entry or exit from the Doctor’s office. Clinical staff must be provided with PPE and must be trained properly about the usage. Dental care staff must use high volume evacuators and strategic isolation methods. The doctor’s office must have complete details of the patient’s appointment so that it will be easy to contact if in case there is an outbreak of the infection amongst the visited patients. To avoid the number of people crowding the office there must be staff rotation so that they are at ease to work.

Wherever the art of medicine is loved, there is also a love of humanity.