Dermatologists call for proactive safety guidelines during COVID-19 pandemic
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Health care delivery is facing rapid changes and urgent issues in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak, propelling the need for more proactive safety measures along with wider usage of telemedicine platforms, according to a letter published in Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.
Recent reports are demonstrating “exponential” pandemic growth, but screening patients for fever and canceling those appointments may not be sufficient because “fever was only present in 43.9% of 7,736 patients at time of hospital admission with COVID-19 in a study of 552 hospitals in mainland China,” Shawn G. Kwatra, MD, of the department of dermatology at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, and colleagues wrote. “Emerging research also suggests that COVID-19 viral particles remain viable in aerosol for several hours and can survive several days on multiple surfaces.”
Due to these reports, Kwatra and colleagues said more precautionary measures must be implemented: All elective outpatient visits should be canceled or deferred, only urgent outpatient visits should be conducted with emergent impatient visits emphasizing the importance of social distancing, practitioners fitting high-risk criteria should be prohibited from evaluating patients, and trainee exposure should be minimized and staggered to protect the health care work force.
Kwatra and colleagues called upon the AMA “to promote guidance for wider implementation of telemedicine platforms and to help smaller solo and group practices with loans and other forms of financial relief to keep practices afloat during this crisis.”
“Dermatology is a part of the broader medical community, and it is time for our specialty to
make important decisions that can save lives,” they wrote. “By taking [these] proactive measures, we also spread a message to our communities about the seriousness of the crisis. Instead of being reactive, we urge dermatology departments and practices to show leadership.” – by Kate Burba
Disclosures: The authors report no relevant financial disclosures.
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