COVID-19 creates need for trust among ophthalmologists, community
The COVID-19 pandemic has emphasized the need for trust among ophthalmic professionals, according to a speaker at the virtual American Academy of Ophthalmology annual meeting.
“If there is one word that symbolizes nearly every major issue we have confronted in 2020, it is the word ‘trust,’” AAO CEO David W. Parke II, MD, said.
The influx of information and limited time in the average ophthalmologist’s day mean that there is no way for everyone to read and analyze every new journal article or lecture about the COVID-19 pandemic, Parke said.
“We must earn and sustain our patients’ trust, and those hundreds who serve as academy staff and volunteers must earn and sustain your trust. It is our core and most valuable asset. We all must prove trustworthy to each other. In the months ahead, that sense of community will be more critical than ever before in our history,” Parke said.
The pandemic has exacerbated the need for trust in community and each other, Parke said.
“We all had to adapt to new information, new processes of care, new government financial relationships, and that was layered on top of our usual responsibilities,” Parke said.
The year 2020 “was supposed to be the year of the eye,” Anne L. Coleman, MD, PhD, AAO president, said. “I am very proud how quickly our leadership, staff and volunteers helped us pivot to address the COVID-19 pandemic.”
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Opening session. Presented at: American Academy of Ophthalmology annual meeting; Nov. 13-15, 2020 (virtual meeting).
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