The Covid-19 Pandemic has been incredibly stressful for everyone and especially on the healthcare system and healthcare providers. The healthcare workers on the front lines have been truly amazing, working under extremely hard conditions which include, shortages of personal protective equipment, such as N95 respirators and masks, shortages of needed equipment, such as ventilators and shortage of personnel! Many staff members themselves have contracted Covid-19 and are finding themselves hospitalized and in the need of care!
As nurse-patient advocates, we here at Healthlink Advocates, may not be on the “front lines” out in the acute care setting, but we have seen our role intensify in just two short weeks, particularly now that Covid-19 is widespread in most communities in the US. As soon as the spread began in our country, we contacted all of our client's primary care physicians and had a plan in place for the clients and their families should they get infected. Our clients appreciated the proactive care and planning.
Our roles as nurse-patient advocates have always been to "partner" with our clients and their families through healthcare transitions and emergencies. The Covid-19 Pandemic has been an enormous emergency for all our clients in some form or another. Myself, Lorie Gardner RN and Doris Zito, Insurance Specialist, have been called on to carry out our roles in "newly formed" ways - to put it bluntly, we are adapting to this new "normal" as we go along making sure our patient's healthcare needs are taken care of and that they are safe and informed on the latest medical information about Covid-19.
Providing Accurate Information
One of the first things we decided to do immediately, was to get information on Covid-19 for ourselves and our patients from reliable sources such as the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the State Department of Health and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid. Click below for our list of reliable references. Providing our patients and their families with the most up to date and accurate information regarding the Covid-19 virus was important in helping them to make decisions regarding medical appointments and exposures in the community.
Many of our clients are in the CDC "high risk" patient groups for contracting Covid-19, which includes elderly patients 65 and older and individuals with co-existing medical conditions such as heart disease, pulmonary disease, and cancer. We needed to educate our clients and their families on the infection prevention practices that would protect them during this pandemic, such as:
Meticulous hand-washing or the use of an alcohol-based hand sanitizer for 20 seconds
Cleaning the environment in their homes with household products that will kill the Covid-19 virus, such as bleach
The importance of social distancing and sheltering in place when needed.
A New Way to Visit Your Doctor…The Use of Telemedicine
During this pandemic, the team at Healthlink Advocates quickly learned that telemedicine visits would serve as an alternative way for our patients to keep their medical appointments and remain in touch with their physicians.
Telemedicine is a form of medical practice that replaces an inpatient, face-to-face visit physician visit using a computer to enable a patient-physician interaction without traveling to the physician’s office. The patient can visit with their doctor in the comfort of their home. As nurse patient advocates, we were tasked with coordinating these visits, instructing our clients on how to “download” the required app to run the telemedicine visit and to be present on the call, when needed.
Many of the clients we service also require tests and procedures that are done onsite at healthcare facilities every week, such as laboratory tests, radiology tests, and special procedures. It was our role as advocates, to be creative and coordinate these services seamlessly and safely. During this hectic and unsettling time, we have coordinated home x-rays, second opinions for clients and assisted them in getting medical letters of necessity for important medical equipment, when needed. Our goal has always been to give our clients the best service and peace of mind regarding their healthcare needs. Now more than ever we realized this was necessary!
Being a Source of Calm in the Storm
As nurse-patient advocates, we pride ourselves on being calm, cool and a source of strength for our patients and their families. We will admit, however, that this demeanor has been tested during this hectic and changing time. Being on top of newly developing information regarding the Covid-19 virus and its impact on patient care has been key in remaining calm when helping our clients make decisions and meet their healthcare needs. We continually educate our clients and their families on new findings and recommended infection prevention practices so that they will feel calm and safe during this unprecedented time in history.