Patients advised not to put off visiting their GP
PATIENTS are being advised not to stay away from their GP as it may lead to a heightened risk of medical complications down the line.
Since COVID-19 restrictions were introduced in early March, GPs have noticed a decline in the number of patients presenting for regular check-ups at their surgeries.
Anxiety and fear of the virus has created a ‘non COVID sick’ category in society, and is the reason for a decline in GP visits, which is now a major concern among health professionals.
Dr John Chute of the Fairies Cross Medical Centre in Tralee says this a serious side effect of the lockdown which may have implications for early medical intervention in patients.
“It’s quite serious because of the potential for late presentations, that would be a big fear for us,” Dr Chute said.
“People are basically afraid to see their doctor in case they are referred to a hospital; people are afraid of going into hospital at the moment.”
The virus is changing the way GP practices operate with full waiting rooms expected to be a thing of the past once restrictions are lifted. Minimising the risk of infection by thoroughly cleaning surgeries and wearing protective equipment have also been stepped up.
“We would be wearing full PPE (Personal Protection Equipment) in the surgery, which is changed after every patient. We have protocols for seeing patients as normal, but we allow only one patient in at a time for our protection. People may find it unusual to see me in full PPE for something that is pretty minor; this would be a slightly unsettling environment, especially for children.”
He explains that patients are asked to wait in their cars before seeing the doctor. These changes are proving difficult for GPs given the one-to-one nature of their work.
“It’s a very inefficient and messy system at the moment,” Dr Chute explains.
“Telephone consultations have rocketed, particularly on Mondays because of the carry-over from the weekend. Our footfall to the surgery has dropped dramatically, and we only see around six to ten people a day, face to face. We now prescribe online, and this means a patient doesn’t have to get signed prescriptions as we email it direct to the pharmacist. That has been a complete change. I think IT will certainly be used more in the future,” Dr Chute explains.
He added that current practise is likely to continue until at least autumn, and that there is now a genuine fear among doctors of contracting COVID-19.
“This fear is hard to comprehend at times. I qualified in 1996 and, as a class, we have a WhatsApp group that we keep in touch through. There is definitely a fear that one of us is going to succumb to it. Over 100 doctors have died of the virus in Italy, which is amazing. It would play on your mind.
“[But] Come in to us as normal. We have a full nursing service here every morning and it’s absolutely safe to come in to me or the nurse for whatever reason.
“Just expect a few delays as we have to change after each patient. But I must say that 99 per cent of the people have been very understanding.”