Masks; PPE; Covid-19 screening; face-shields; cleaning; sterilization; washing hands; gowns; gloves; temperatures; social distancing; booking to allow for extra room turnover; staff sign in; patients waiting in their cars; staff meetings on Zoom; and trying to have conversations with patients through Plexiglass, masks, and shields. Ouch!
There is so much to focus on! Even being aware of how close we are as we pass in the hallways and changing clothes to go out for lunch! Everything is different; everything is extra time and effort and it’s exhausting!
And yet…let’s think back to how it was PC (pre-Covid) and our focus was on patient care, patient experience, patient comfort. Shouldn’t it still be? Even with all the extra things on our mind?
Refocusing on patient care will serve two purposes right now:
- It will help to remind us why we are all here, doing what we do, and take some of the fatigue away from the constant reminders of how we have to interact in this new world,
- It will bring us back into the original common purpose that we all shared pre-Covid and help to ground us in our values.
- It will serve to enhance our patient’s care and experience, because this is really hard for them too.
Don’t let the sound of your own wheels make you crazy. Shift your focus back onto your patients and life will be a little easier as we rebuild. Just sayin’.
