[ad_1]
Doctors working in the emergency department say that while the number of unnecessary referrals has dropped since the second quarantine was published, much more seriously ill patients are being treated.
“In general, people now really come looking for the necessary help. Although the reception service of our hospital is mainly focused on trauma and surgical services, it is observed that there are fewer injuries here too. Especially for the older ones. small, like those in which you can go to the external consultation or help you at home.
When it comes to general surgery, neurology, therapy, the trend is that many more patients with neglected cancer diseases are arriving. People just didn’t get screened, they come in a condition that is already difficult, with extensive or large tumors causing more pronounced symptoms, “said Paulius Uksas, an emergency physician at the Vilnius Republican University Hospital.
Arriving too late
According to him, in such cases, rarely does a patient need to be hospitalized or receive more intensive treatment before being discharged from the emergency department.
“It is very rare that it is enough to speak and get everything in its place, to explain that practically everyone needs a detailed, complete and long investigation. Needless to say, the Covid-19 investigation puts even more pressure on work.
While in general it can be said that we have fewer patients than we had in the pre-quarantine period, they take much longer and require more human and other resources. Of course, work with this type of patient is done using protective equipment, ”said the doctor.
He regretted that the patients were too late.
“It may sound strange, we are not looking for work, but we wish that people had made the decision to come a week ago. And this applies to all possible diseases, both in terms of stroke and heart attack. Of course, we always provide assistance to these patients, but their number has decreased somewhat.
However, people have not recovered from these diseases on their own, the incidence has not decreased, they simply do not apply, they are absent, they are gone. But it is unfortunate because it is a disease that has long-term consequences and has a strong impact on quality of life, ”said Mr. Uks.
Not satisfied with the remote consultation?
The doctor did not hide the fact that some patients would prefer to go to the admissions department because at least here there is a guarantee that they will actually be examined and not just consulted at a distance.
“It may be that some patients do not receive full quality services in polyclinics. After all, the doctor himself wants to see the person live, not just hear them on the phone, because it is possible to create a false impression.
Sometimes, the next time a person says that everything is fine for him, but look and see that it is not, and the next time he says that everything is wrong, but you see that maybe it is not so bad. Perhaps a person’s condition is more determined by some emotional background. Because there has been a significant increase in the number of people calling the ER for suicide. “They feel like people are exhausted and tired,” the doctor noted.
The fear of getting infected with Covid-19 stops you
On the other hand, he said there is no way for people to rush en masse to the reception department because they are not getting help anywhere else.
“People are considering whether it is really worth going to the emergency department, where all the hospitals try to classify streams, to distinguish between fever and no fever. Covid-19 is a treacherous disease with atypical symptoms.
People realize that they may have to sit, queue, and stay in the same room with patients who can later be confirmed to have a Covid-19 infection. That is why they take care of themselves and do not go to medical institutions if it is not necessary, ”said P. Uks.
However, at the same time, the doctor noticed that there was always a proportion of those who came to the reception for an expedited scheduled examination.
“But perhaps they have dropped, because they still do not want to take risks, because Covid-19 can have serious consequences,” the interlocutor added.
Introducing it, Martynas Banys, an emergency physician at Panevėžys Republican Hospital, stated that the quarantine did not change the trend that some of them delayed and did not seek medical attention until the last. Therefore, it would be difficult to assess whether they have increased due to the introduction of quarantine.
“People complain that it is difficult to reach family doctors, not everyone is satisfied with these remote consultations. But family doctors have the right to prescribe and refer, often calling the admissions department to refer this or that patient. So I think a lot of people have adapted to this situation.
Of course, there are also neglected cases, but then we try to use personal ingenuity to help them further, ”he said.
Less movement, less injury
Banys said the result of the quarantine restrictions was more visible, with fewer injuries.
“Due to the restriction of the movement of people, there are much fewer on the roads and it is natural that injuries have been significantly reduced. When there is a lot of snow, it gets dark early, there are usually more car accidents, pedestrians were run over,” explained the doctor .
No matter how difficult the patient makes it to the admissions department, the reality today is that each of them is seen as a potential carrier of Covid-19.
“Every hospitalized patient is tested to prevent the spread of infections in the hospital. If a patient is discharged for treatment at home, even though they are not known to have Covid-19, but certain symptoms may suggest it, they are referred to a family doctor for a Covid-19 test at a mobile point.
Sometimes there are so-called gray areas where patients do not need hospitalization yet, but depending on the condition, you can see that they may be needed immediately. “This is the type of patient that you take home after a test, so that we have an answer if necessary,” he said.
The portal tv3.lt recalls that the Republican Šiauliai Hospital has announced that the number of patients seeking medical treatment has increased during the New Year, and some of them have been significantly neglected.
According to doctors at the hospital, up to 20 percent come every day. more patients than in December 2020. The majority (up to 65-70%) of these patients receive outpatient treatment after medical examinations and tests.
However, during the first week of January, several patients diagnosed with advanced oncological disease arrived at the emergency room every day. The patients had not been ill before, but had been experiencing symptoms for several months, but had not reported anywhere. Patients also arrive on a daily basis due to inadequate treatment and care for chronic diseases.
[ad_2]
