MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – WVU Medicine Chair of Emergency Medicine, Dr. Chris Goode believes the pandemic is teaching an important lesson about what the future of medical care may look like.
Additionally, He says the suspension of elective procedures has led people to poorly manage existing medical conditions and symptoms.
“We want people to understand that other diseases don’t go away during a pandemic,” Dr. Goode said,”We’re seeing concerning trends, both locally and nationally that people are staying home too long.”
On Talkline, Dr. Goode said over the shutdown period he has seen people not seek treatment leading to worse outcomes for some.
“Unfortunately, people are staying home for a day or two or three with symptoms that would have otherwise taken them to a local emergency department,” Dr. Goode said,”And they’re having worse complications because of it.”
Goode says the pandemic is changing how medical care and advice is delivered.
“How you interface with your healthcare provider is going to change,” Dr. Goode said,”Telemedicine, be it video visits, electronic visits, electronic chats via text or something of the nature.”
Patients with heart, vascular, intestinal, respiratory and orthopedic issue all have different needs that have to be carefully considered.
“People need to make sure we match the electronic means of how we communicate with our healthcare providers with our patients, that it matches the disease process,” Dr. Goode said.
While the shutdown wears on, Dr. Goode says it’s especially important to reach out to family members, those with chronic health issues and the elderly.
“Keep regular contact with them and make they’re not sitting at home contemplating whether they should seek care for any illness or not,” Dr. Goode said,”We don’t want them to sit at home and get worse unnecessarily.”