Steps to resume Optometry practice during Covid-19

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• Steps to resume Optometry practice during Covid-19

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Steps to resume Optometry practice during Covid-19
The COVID-19s outbreak all over the country has
created unusual interruption to the profession
and enforced optometrists to impose rapid
practice management and clinical decisions.
Number of ODs closed their practices for a short
period of time owing to COVID-19, on the other
hand, other practitioners makeshift with very
urgent appointments and Telehealth optometry.
Now, the national sanction of CDC to delay
regular eye care is ineffective, new challenges
have been faced by ODs how we move forward
amidst the COVID-19 outbreak? Steps to resume
optometry practice The pandemic has transformed
the healthcare industry completely. In the
beginning, it was rapidly noticed that
incorporating Telehealth optometry into
optometrists regular practice was necessary. Let
us understand the step-by-step process to resume
optometry practice during COVID-19. Design a
patients group and divide them into different
categories In order to ease your daily practice,
study your patient base. For example distribute
your patients in three different categories like
A, B, and C. Type A patients are those patients
who need urgent care and in-office visit because
of the complex nature of their present condition.
Segregation of category B and category C patients
is totally depending on your professional
expertise. You can categories them such as more
urgent but not emergent, type B-C may contain
patients who usually need follow-up every three
to five months, but their visits could be
delayed. Finally, Type C patients are those
patients who require routine checkups once a year.
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Steps to resume Optometry practice during Covid-19
Categorization of patients will enable you to
effectively paying attention to the urgency of
your patients requirements. Allocate dedicated
staff members who can understand patients better.
Moreover, each patient who calls and speaks to
you about his/her medical condition should be
categorized. Monitor the above plan of action
for the next four to seven months Ambiguity is
the correct word to brief this whole scenario,
and even the time period for reopening, based on
state recommendations. Your correct plan of
action is to strategize the upcoming four to six
months and recognize the proper timeline for
different patients in different
categories. Utilize and manage your office space
and patients visit smartly Each office layout is
different therefore, following the
social-distancing norms could be difficult. Begin
with observing your office space so that you can
understand space availability and the number of
people to be accommodated. By doing space study
you will get a clear picture of how many
providers can be operating at the same time. For
an individual practitioner, this could only need
diminishing patient numbers. This initiative
will require more planning for multiple doctor
practice, hospital or academic setting, and
MD/OD. Technically, there should not be two
practitioners in the same hall. This will
restrain interaction between staff and patients
as well as patient-to-patient contact.
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Steps to resume Optometry practice during Covid-19
Areas such as dilating areas, waiting rooms, and
testing spaces require to be rearranged to have
proper distancing. Decrease exposure and
in-office chair time Rising telemedicine
technology and the exceptional, although
temporary, lift on HIPAA restrictions permit you
to merge in-office visits and optometry
telemedicine. The diagnostic day model could
perform a major role in your hospital. After a
short interaction with your patient for
diagnosis, on the next day patient will receive a
call or audiovisual visit to discuss further
procedures and results. Strategize to enforce
telemedicine optometry in standard office care As
you are moving towards normalizing your practice,
triage telemedicine optometry will still be
vital. Because of space limitations and social
distancing, not every doctor will be capable to
practice in the hospitals every day of the week.
This is where telemedicine optometry comes into a
picture, which will stay forever into your
practice. Moreover, study different aspects of
telemedicine optometry to be implemented in daily
practice in the long run. Safety and security of
staff as well as patients will be on top of the
list in every healthcare setting in the COVID-19
scenario. In order to stay each and everyone
safe, optometrists should welcome change. These
are some of the important steps that every health
care practitioner should keep in mind while
getting back to in-office practice.
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