1/7 How to be a GP while 'living with covid' take 2 (common experiences listed). 1. spend all day attempting to use video with pts who can't use video because the government removed phone rebates for 'hotspots' and redefined hotspots so you aren't one when you hit 80% double vax
2/7 even though you have tens of thousands cases a day in your state 2. play covid 'whamageddon' - how long can you avoid an exposure by family/friends etc (just like everyone else or by a pt. if you cannot avoid an exposure; good luck-now you have to test/isolate/maybe work
3/7 depending on where you live. 3. if that happens NO CARE for your patients. 4. Spend all your spare minutes attempting to get #PPE. If the government actually delivered you some you could a. avoid exposure b. attempt to keep working c. not get sick yourself. However you do
4/7 not get enough, so you ...have to try on the open market like everyone else is (GOOD LUCK). 5. Your receptionists, who have worked harder than ever before will have to field EVEN MORE calls from 'RAT positive people' as once again there was a press conference that says you
5/7 have a magical way to register said RAT, however you do not. GOOD LUCK receptionists. 6. attempt to figure out how to safely vaccinate kids in the middle of all this 7. look after lots & lots of COVID positive people, some of whom will need escalating care,but that may be
6/7 hard to get, & it takes a lot of time & maybe you can't get them care. 8. While you are doing all this & because COVID takes up all your time and you don't have PPE, lots of people who need their normal care/cancer screening/are otherwise unwell, will miss out because
7/7 someone else smarter than you decided we all had to 'live with covid' except now we're collectively more short staffed, less free, and have less care types available (by face to face and phone) and amazingly still terrible levels of #PPE than almost ever before.
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1/5 how to be a GP in a pandemic; a thread . 1. recognise there is a dangerous bug that could kill you, your family and your patients. Pivot rapidly to Telehealth and be forced to bulk bill #telehealth#covid19#auspol#GetVaccinatedNow
2/5 spend your days trying to calm down your patients and your nights doing 3-4 hours of education to make sure you know what to do next, learn about covid & every update there is. Wear scrubs in case you give it to anyone at home . Sanitise at every possible work point you have.
3/5 set up systems to triage,&safely see or direct pts with symptoms of covid for testing and care, train your staff, in order to keep your practice going, your staff and patients safe and try not to miss all the other stuff that people could have.