The Coronavirus pandemic has shaken the healthcare sector in the UAE and globally. After the pandemic, visiting the doctor will never be the same; hospitals and medical practitioners have to follow new safety standards. Most clinics have very strict visiting guidelines, and many consultations and appointments are made virtually.
The rapid spread of this virus forced all health facilities to transform into devoted COVID facilities. Hospitals have suspended elective procedures and are only accepting emergency cases. When the pandemic was announced, most shops were closed, the streets were empty, and many people worked from home. However, doctors and other healthcare providers continued working, and their workload increased.
Don’t Avoid Your Healthcare Provider
As the whole world battles Coronavirus, you might think that it’s risky to visit a hospital when you feel unwell. Many people are avoiding hospitals and canceling appointments out of concern for Coronavirus. Even patients with serious conditions like heart attacks are visiting the hospitals less.
However, this can cause more harm than good; life-threatening conditions can worsen and even cause more problems than COVID-19. Although it’s necessary to maintain social distance and avoid crowds, you should not ignore any serious symptoms.
If you notice new symptoms or changes in your health, you should call your doctor and explain everything. Some conditions, like difficulty breathing, chest pain, heavy bleeding, high fever, or broken bones, may require you to visit a health facility.
How the Health Sector will Change after the Pandemic
Although it’s hard to predict how other sectors will change, we have many ideas of what it will be like visiting the doctor after the pandemic. Here is what to expect.
Focus on Telemedicine
Although virtual clinical education and telehealth are not new, more patients and doctors are now embracing this method more during this pandemic period. Many health facilities are now embracing technology; more doctors will continue to diagnose, deliberate about treatment plans, and follow up on the patient’s progress.
Patients stay home and don’t have to expose themselves to the virus in health facilities. It also provides better healthcare because you can consult your doctor as often as you want without having to go to the hospital. This allows you to manage your lifestyle, chronic conditions, and medication. For instance, if you are in the UAE and have heart problems and notice new symptoms, you should consult your cardiologist in Dubai.
Public Health
Although the world has overcome other viruses, Coronavirus is one of the worst, affecting both young and old. Public health measures are essential to protect individuals with compromised immune systems and the elderly who seem to be the most affected. Both public and private health facilities have established safety procedures like screening, temperature checks, etc. They are also encouraging using a hand sanitizer or washing your hands regularly.
Contact Tracing
Contact tracing has been useful in the past; it has helped to slow the transmission of infectious diseases like STIs, measles, tuberculosis, Ebola, etc. Hospitals are using this system to deal with Coronavirus in their facilities. There is strict confidentiality during this process. The use of contact tracing will increase as medical experts use it to track infections and growth patterns.
Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare
Artificial intelligence is beneficial in the healthcare sector. Artificial Intelligence can review patients’ records and history to predict trends accurately; this helps health experts to prepare resources such as vaccines to prevent another pandemic.
Don’t be surprised when you visit a medical center in Dubai and find out they use AI. It eliminates human error and gives an accurate diagnosis. Doctors can also provide individualized treatment, and Artificial Intelligence can effectively diagnose cancer and other life-threatening diseases.
AI can use algorithms for diagnosis and treatment; a chatbot listens to your health concerns and symptoms, then guide you to the right hospital. This is one of the ways physicians can use to make diagnosis and treatment fast.
Innovation, Authenticity, and Expertise
The pandemic’s outbreak and spread have put pressure on medical experts to find innovative ways to protect society from another potential outbreak. During this time, many healthcare providers and hospitals have informed the public through the internet, YouTube, and social media sites. This has fostered trust and trust from health consumers.
There will be new and more effective ways of problem-solving in hospitals. Health innovation is useful; it makes healthcare accessible and lightens the load on doctors and nurses. Physicians and patients have access to more health resources and education. Technological innovation can create many possibilities and opportunities in healthcare.
The Coronavirus pandemic has disrupted and turned everything upside down. Hospitals and health workers have been overwhelmed and suffered burnout. However, this has helped the health sector stakeholders to find ways to treat, protect the public, and prevent further infections. More innovations, accurate diagnosis and treatment, and faster services will be experienced after the pandemic.
Read Also:
