Ten teachings to practice Medicine in the post-COVID era
The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic is a real challenge
The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and the COVID-19 disease have been a real challenge to the nurses and physicians , both in the primary care and the hospitals. Health workers have been able to keep an attitude of learning from the experience in a transversal mode with other professionals., working as a team.Probably, in the immediate future, after reaching a percentage of vaccination around 70%, the health services can return to work in similar conditions than before, but we are not going to go back in the same situation. We have learnt a lot of things after the pandemic, and some of them are going to stay here forever, because other challenges and menaces will come.
As a way to resume some learning from the experience, I have tried to start with ten concepts that I consider important to practice clinical medicine in the next future
Decalogue
Expand your training in individual and community hygiene
Work in a complete and appropriate clinical wardrobe, with daily change
Develop continuous training in general aspects of other medical specialties that can be used for cross-sectional clinical work
Be prepared for organizational changes to respond to future threats
Include long-COVID problems in the patient’s current differential diagnosis
Develop training in Clinical Safety and “Risk Management”
Encourage training in knowing the clinic of uncommon infectious processes
Study the non-COVID processes suffered by patients, after being admitted with the diagnostic presumption of COVID
Encourage teamwork with other non-medical personnel to come up with common strategies in case of incidents
Remember that practicing medicine is a risky activity, so be always aware of unforeseen events
Lorenzo Alonso
FORO OSLER
