General Corona virus updates

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Hospital systems around here are starting to have employee PUI’s- hopefully we don’t see an increasing number of healthcare workers found to be infected
I think we are going to screw that up. We don't have a uniform system for testing or protection. I'm seeing variation even locally. It makes me lack confidence in the right answer because it isn't a data driven machine.

As infection rates become denser, it probably benefits every outpatient doctor to treat every patient as a carrier.
In other countries that have higher density of infectious disease you see docs wearing masks for all outpatient visits and they "turn over" the room like an inpatient room before each outpatient visit, wiping down all surfaces, etc.

ED obviously highest risk with undifferentiated patient population but Peds as an entire specialty/subspecialty seems high risk for the age related asymptomatic patients. How are you guys managing that?
 

ThatOneDude

Commander in @Chief, Dick Army
First 100
Jan 14, 2015
35,390
34,115
My brother just sent me this

A suspected COVID-19 male patient is lying in bed in the hospital, wearing an oxygen mask over his mouth and nose. A young student female nurse appears and gives him a partial sponge bath.
"Nurse,"' he mumbles from behind the mask, "are my testicles black?"
Embarrassed, the young nurse replies, "I don't know, Sir. I'm only here to wash your upper body and feet."
He struggles to ask again, "Nurse, please check for me. Are my testicles black?"
Concerned that he might elevate his blood pressure and heart rate from worrying about his testicles, she overcomes her embarrassment and
pulls back the covers.
She raises his gown, holds his manhood in one hand and his testicles gently in the other.
She looks very closely and says, "There's nothing wrong with them, Sir. They look fine."
The man slowly pulls off his oxygen mask, smiles at her, and says very slowly,
"Thank you very much. That was wonderful. Now listen very,very, closely:
"Are - my - test - results - back?"”
 

silentsinger

Momofuku
Jun 23, 2015
21,038
14,457
Got the most lovely text from a neighbour two doors away. We obviously can't see each other but we're going to try and spend 5 minutes a day outside our patio doors and have a chat on rotation.
 

SC MMA MD

TMMAC Addict
Jan 20, 2015
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I think we are going to screw that up. We don't have a uniform system for testing or protection. I'm seeing variation even locally. It makes me lack confidence in the right answer because it isn't a data driven machine.

As infection rates become denser, it probably benefits every outpatient doctor to treat every patient as a carrier.
In other countries that have higher density of infectious disease you see docs wearing masks for all outpatient visits and they "turn over" the room like an inpatient room before each outpatient visit, wiping down all surfaces, etc.

ED obviously highest risk with undifferentiated patient population but Peds as an entire specialty/subspecialty seems high risk for the age related asymptomatic patients. How are you guys managing that?
I have changed our scheduling procedures so that patients arrive at different times to minimize chances two patients will occupy the same space at the same time. Patients are only allowed to come with one guardian (families are made aware of this by phone and news media- enforced at entrance to building), patients and guardian are screened with questions and non-contact thermometer at door to building. Rooms cleaned as per our standard protocol (all of our rooms are non-porous surfaces with no magazines/books/soft toys) and are cleaned completely after each patient. With the decreased patient volumes, most of our rooms are only used once a day, rarely more than twice. Nurses have been instructed to prioritize getting patients back into a private room- now it is highly unusual for a patient to even sit down in the waiting room, a nurse will usually get them immediately upon checking in.
Not perfect, but seems to be current best practice per our ID and infection control folks.
I am considering splitting staff between two of our satellite clinics to reduce the chance of cross contamination between staff members in the event someone gets exposed.
 

SC MMA MD

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Jan 20, 2015
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Just got notification from the CDC advising that we need to tell patients not to use non-pharmaceutical medications in the hopes of preventing COVID. So sad that people are scared to the point that they are doing something well intentioned but harming themselves.

This is an official CDC Health Update providing information on Severe Illness Associated with Using Non-Pharmaceutical Chloroquine Phosphate to Prevent and Treat Coronavirus Disease 2019
 

Lukewarm Carl

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Aug 7, 2015
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Here's a question for SC MMA MD @SC MMA MD and @Splinty mostly...

About 2 months ago, without any thought of this crap in my mind, I scheduled an appt with a PCP for an initial check and then to get a physical as I haven't had a real PCP in about 15 years. Only time I go to the Dr is if I'm injured or need a vaccine for work.

Should I keep the appointment as scheduled or cancel it for now?
 

SC MMA MD

TMMAC Addict
Jan 20, 2015
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Here's a question for SC MMA MD @SC MMA MD and @Splinty mostly...

About 2 months ago, without any thought of this crap in my mind, I scheduled an appt with a PCP for an initial check and then to get a physical as I haven't had a real PCP in about 15 years. Only time I go to the Dr is if I'm injured or need a vaccine for work.

Should I keep the appointment as scheduled or cancel it for now?
Hard to answer that. If you are in the US- call the office and ask if they can do a virtual visit. The physician can then talk to you and decide if you should come for an actual examination now or hold off until COVID passes. Some larger practices with multiple locations have started having a “clean” location for physicals and chronic conditions and a “sick” location for people with symptoms, so your providers practice might have something like that as well
 

Rambo John J

Baker Team
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Jan 17, 2015
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Just got notification from the CDC advising that we need to tell patients not to use non-pharmaceutical medications in the hopes of preventing COVID. So sad that people are scared to the point that they are doing something well intentioned but harming themselves.

This is an official CDC Health Update providing information on Severe Illness Associated with Using Non-Pharmaceutical Chloroquine Phosphate to Prevent and Treat Coronavirus Disease 2019
the fear is dangerous

some people are selling their immune system's short and doing harm to themselves

Just gonna keep topped off on vitamins and minerals

I know some people that are probably taking fish store grade antibiotics as preventative...I told them that might do more harm than good but they are scared as shit from the coverage and probably are taking them as we speak
 

silentsinger

Momofuku
Jun 23, 2015
21,038
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the fear is dangerous

some people are selling their immune system's short and doing harm to themselves

Just gonna keep topped off on vitamins and minerals

I know some people that are probably taking fish store grade antibiotics as preventative...I told them that might do more harm than good but they are scared as shit from the coverage and probably are taking them as we speak
As in in real life know them? They do know that antibiotics can't cure a virus, right?
 

Rambo John J

Baker Team
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Jan 17, 2015
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As in in real life know them? They do know that antibiotics can't cure a virus, right?
Fear is also a virus


and yes...lots of people bought fish store medicine a month back for self "medicating" and shit...not sure what they bought, I know antibiotics was one of them

and yes, I know some of them
 
D

Deleted member 1

Guest
Here's a question for SC MMA MD @SC MMA MD and @Splinty mostly...

About 2 months ago, without any thought of this crap in my mind, I scheduled an appt with a PCP for an initial check and then to get a physical as I haven't had a real PCP in about 15 years. Only time I go to the Dr is if I'm injured or need a vaccine for work.

Should I keep the appointment as scheduled or cancel it for now?

Theres huge variation in this right now in actual implementation.
In my practice I would offer you a new patient visit by telemedicine. Our practice has essentially taken all respiratory and fever patients out of the building. They do not even come in. Car triage and telemed. So you could come in as well but I would try to give you a telemedicine visit instead. I would order some labs that you could come get done as an in and out thing or you could have them done in a couple months.

My overwhelming picture is anyone that doesn't need to be in the medical setting in the next 60 days shouldn't be. On the other hand this is killing my bottom line soooooo.... Go make 25 visits with that PCP please.
 

b00ts

pews&vrooms
Amateur Fighter
Oct 21, 2015
5,599
8,630
Update on my dad:

They transferred dad to a hospital in Baton Rouge. He began throwing up and shaking bad. Liver and kidney tests came back abnormal. The hospital LOST HIS CORONA VIRUS TEST and his doctor didn’t know what else to do, so they moved him. He just got settled into his room and will get retested today. :disappointed:
 

Lukewarm Carl

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Aug 7, 2015
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Theres huge variation in this right now in actual implementation.
In my practice I would offer you a new patient visit by telemedicine. Our practice has essentially taken all respiratory and fever patients out of the building. They do not even come in. Car triage and telemed. So you could come in as well but I would try to give you a telemedicine visit instead. I would order some labs that you could come get done as an in and out thing or you could have them done in a couple months.

My overwhelming picture is anyone that doesn't need to be in the medical setting in the next 60 days shouldn't be. On the other hand this is killing my bottom line soooooo.... Go make 25 visits with that PCP please.
That's the reason I asked.

I got an automated call yesterday confirming the appt for Tuesday but that was about it. I'm healthy so it's no rush but my gal reminded me that I'm getting old (she's a dirty pirate hooker like that) and that I should probably get a handle on things to make sure that I'm actually as healthy as I think I am.

I'm good with telehealth. I'm good with going in. I'm good with postponing. Basically I'm willing to do whatever is recommended as I'm a great patient once I give up and decide that I'm willing to be a patient.

Maybe I'll bug them on Monday and see what they want me to do and go from there.

Thanks, @Splinty and SC MMA MD @SC MMA MD

Troll s
 

Greek777

Posting Machine
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Jan 18, 2015
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Theres huge variation in this right now in actual implementation.
In my practice I would offer you a new patient visit by telemedicine. Our practice has essentially taken all respiratory and fever patients out of the building. They do not even come in. Car triage and telemed. So you could come in as well but I would try to give you a telemedicine visit instead. I would order some labs that you could come get done as an in and out thing or you could have them done in a couple months.

My overwhelming picture is anyone that doesn't need to be in the medical setting in the next 60 days shouldn't be. On the other hand this is killing my bottom line soooooo.... Go make 25 visits with that PCP please.
The doctor appointment I mentioned earlier in the thread got changed to telemedicine thankfully. I really did not wanna go down there.
 

Yossarian

TMMAC Addict
Oct 25, 2015
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Just got notification from the CDC advising that we need to tell patients not to use non-pharmaceutical medications in the hopes of preventing COVID. So sad that people are scared to the point that they are doing something well intentioned but harming themselves.

This is an official CDC Health Update providing information on Severe Illness Associated with Using Non-Pharmaceutical Chloroquine Phosphate to Prevent and Treat Coronavirus Disease 2019
Day 5 of a teaspoon of fish tank cleaner and I'm feeling tip top doc!


Jokes aside, yes, desperation are causing people to ignore what we otherwise would consider common sense... it's crazy.
 

Yossarian

TMMAC Addict
Oct 25, 2015
13,489
19,117
Update on my dad:

They transferred dad to a hospital in Baton Rouge. He began throwing up and shaking bad. Liver and kidney tests came back abnormal. The hospital LOST HIS CORONA VIRUS TEST and his doctor didn’t know what else to do, so they moved him. He just got settled into his room and will get retested today. :disappointed:
Sorry to hear man. Heart breaking.