What is it like to visit a doctor’s office right now during the pandemic?

Sitting in my office today I realized that given the state of the COVID-19 pandemic there has been increased anxiety in my patients about visiting the doctor.  They just don’t know what to expect and for good reason are worried.  It is intimidating and can be associated with anxiety to begin with, and now with any new protocols or potential increased risks patients are (rightfully) concerned. However, I want to tell you that it is not that much different.  To alleviate some fear, I’ll walk you through the process and discuss what new protocols you can expect when visiting.  

First and foremost, we are here, and we are seeing patients who need us.  There are a couple different ways to visit the doctor right now.  You can definitely come in person to see us as you would normally, or if you feel uncomfortable and worried given either the pandemic or your risk given your personal medical conditions, we are also offering telemedicine visits, which I have talked about before Here! (essentially where a doctor and you can video chat). 

Next when you have decided to make a doctor’s appointment, what changes should you be aware of?  Let’s walk through the process.  You start by calling for an appointment as always, but you will likely notice the first change here with the conversation you have with the scheduler.  Your scheduler will ask you about symptoms for COVID-19 as well as any other risk factors for exposure.  They will inform you about some of the measures in the clinic that we are taking to try to protect our patients.  Once you complete the screen, you make your appointment and are good to go.  Face coverings are mandated in the buildings, so you will be reminded have one for your appointment. And in case you forget, don’t panic!  You will be provided with a mask if you do not have one when you arrive.  Like you, the doctor, nurses, and all staff you meet will also be wearing a mask throughout the visit.  When you arrive at the office you will be asked to fill out a questionnaire about possible symptoms and exposure and have your temperature checked with an infrared forehead thermometer.  If you do not have a fever, or active symptoms you will “pass” this portion.  You may notice that our waiting rooms have been changed to help with social (physical) distancing.  This means chairs have been removed and spaced far apart. In some cases, you may bypass the waiting room altogether and move immediately from check in to your examination room.  This helps keep everyone safely distanced and separated. Heads up, this may mean you sit in the exam room longer than normal while waiting for the doctor, but it helps keep everyone away from each other, which is the goal of social distancing.  

The visit with the doctor should feel pretty normal overall.  Sure, we are limiting handshakes, but the doctor will still examine and treat you in our normal way.  There is lots of handwashing for us these days! But honestly not much different from how we normally operate. Hand washing has long been a part of our infection control practices in hospitals. 

What happens next?  Once you see the doctor if we need an MRI or another test it is absolutely still available.  In some cases, there may be a bit longer wait given those facilities are also implementing procedures for social distancing and cleaning, which may mean more time between appointments.  But overall, tests, medical procedures and surgeries are being done as they were before this pandemic with a little additional caution. 

After visits with my patients, I am asking folks to stay in the room, and once the coast is clear from other patients in the common areas, my staff review any needed next steps with you directly and help you exit seamlessly and as socially distant as possible.  Once you exit our building our staff does a diligent job in cleaning the rooms before we move on to our next patient.

Bottom line:  there are some small changes to protocols to try to keep patients safe, but no other large ones you should worry about. You need to be mindful of local stay-at-home orders and the pandemic is absolutely still out there. But, we are here for you, and we are all doing the best we can in this challenging time.  Stay safe!