The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic has compromised the lives of many people. The implementation of stay-at-home orders has made it very difficult for people to venture outside their homes, even for emergencies. People who need to visit healthcare institutions for regular checkups and follow-up checkups find themselves unable to do so because of the fear that they would be risking themselves to the health risks brought by the pandemic.
As a result, many patients have faced a lot of health complications due to the inconvenience brought by the pandemic. Hospitals and other healthcare institutions have become overwhelmed with patients who have either contracted the disease, showing symptoms similar to the disease, or are at risk of developing the disease. Therefore, a lot of people are apprehensive about visiting healthcare institutions during the pandemic.
Based on these facts, the healthcare sector has found different solutions to the problems brought by the pandemic. If people cannot venture outside their homes, the healthcare sector needs to find a way to connect with people without asking people to leave the safety of their homes. If people are afraid to go outside and visit healthcare institutions, the healthcare sector needs to find a way to give people access to quality healthcare processes and procedures.
The best solution that the healthcare sector has come up with in response to the pandemic is digitalization. Nowadays, all consultations are made online via the Internet or through phone calls if patients do not have Internet access. It is prevalent to witness patients using online consultations to determine the health problems that they are facing.
The pandemic has paved the way towards different healthcare processes being administered virtually. Digitalized orthodontics and dental care, prenatal care, and other forms of healthcare processes and procedures have been introduced to society. Below is an elaboration of how the healthcare sector has managed to accommodate the healthcare needs of people despite the threats posed by the pandemic.
Online Consultations and Appointments
The implementation of stay-at-home orders has made it very difficult for people to venture out of their homes, even for emergencies. For one thing, the government has become very strict about people’s movements outside their homes. For another, many people are terrified of the ongoing pandemic that they would be willing to compromise their health in another way just as long as it does not entail risking themselves to the virus.
Later on, people were able to communicate with their healthcare providers because of the establishment of online healthcare. Online healthcare services have given patients more opportunities to look after their health even though they do not want to leave their homes for medical checkups and procedures. Online healthcare appointments are also easier to arrange because the process of setting appointments online is very fast and meticulous, which benefits both patients and healthcare providers. Therefore, this innovative solution to address the problems raised by the pandemic has paved the way for people to have better health outcomes.
Phone Consultations
Despite the benefits of the Internet, some patients do not have Internet access which means that they cannot maximize online consultations. As a result, the healthcare sector has considered phone consultations so that patients who do not have Internet access will still reach their healthcare providers. However, phone consultations are more complicated than online consultations because everything has to be done over a phone call. Despite the challenges posed by phone consultations, healthcare providers have still managed to meet the healthcare needs of the patients who have used phone consultations as a means of contacting their healthcare providers for advice.
Social-distancing Measures
Healthcare institutions are still accepting patients, especially during emergency cases. Therefore, many healthcare institutions have implemented stricter social distancing measures and health and safety protocols. Doctors and other healthcare providers have been made to adhere to stricter safety protocols which means that consultation processes and procedures have been altered to guarantee that patients and healthcare providers will be safe from the virus at all times.
Adjusting to the New Normal
The COVID-19 pandemic has made people cope with the new normal for almost every process in society. Nowadays, people have to be very cautious about their movements outside their homes so that they will not end up contracting the disease or spreading the virus to other people. Healthcare processes and procedures have also undergone significant changes because of the pandemic. Regardless of these changes, the main goal of the healthcare sector is to make sure that people in society will always have access to quality healthcare services to promote positive health outcomes.