Strategies to maximize clinical efficiency while maintaining patient safety during the COVID-19 pandemic: an interview-based study from private practice dermatologists.
The Journal of dermatological treatment(2020)
Abstract
BACKGROUND:Many dermatologists have experienced significant changes to their practices due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
OBJECTIVE:It is vital to recognize how the pandemic has affected dermatology practices and identify methods to maximize clinical efficiency while maintaining patient safety.
METHODS:Private practice dermatologists in metropolitan areas were interviewed regarding various issues, including patient volume, types of visits or procedures being performed, screening for COVID-19, and operational modifications.
RESULTS:On average, there was a 65.2% decrease in patient volume during the initial surge of the COVID-19 outbreak, which was improved to a 15.5% decrease in July 2020. Despite this reduction in patient volume, the proportion of acute dermatologic issues, biopsies performed, and skin cancer concerns were all increased compared to pre-COVID. All of the dermatologists reported notable changes in regards to scheduling, staff, operations, and workplaces.
LIMITATIONS:Interview participants were limited to metropolitan dermatologists mainly within the California region.
CONCLUSION:Improving patient communication, implementing protocols to facilitate social distancing, and utilizing teledermatology were reported to be essential to optimizing efficiency and safety. As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to evolve, it is important that dermatologists identify specific ways to practice efficiently and effectively, while mitigating the spread of the virus.
MoreTranslated text
Key words
COVID-19,dermatology practices,patient volume,patient safety,teledermatology,efficiency
AI Read Science
Must-Reading Tree
Example
![](https://originalfileserver.aminer.cn/sys/aminer/pubs/mrt_preview.jpeg)
Generate MRT to find the research sequence of this paper
Chat Paper
Summary is being generated by the instructions you defined