MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — A top emergency medicine expert in the Mountain State says with elective medical procedures returning to the Mountain State, state residents shouldn’t put off returning to the doctor.
“We want people to understand that other diseases don’t go away during a pandemic,” WVU Medicine Chair of Emergency Medicine, Dr. Chris Goode said Monday on MetroNews “Talkline.” “We’re seeing concerning trends, both locally and nationally that people are staying home too long.”
Hospitals are expected to begin restarting elective procedures later this week. They could begin submitting their plans to the state Department of Health and Human Resources Monday. Hospitals and outpatient clinics are part of the first week of Gov. Jim Justice’s six-week plan to restart the state’s economy unveiled Monday.
Goode said over the shutdown period he has seen people not seek treatment leading to worse outcomes for some.
“Unfortunately, people are staying home for a day or two or three with symptoms that would have otherwise taken them to a local emergency department and they’re having worse complications because of it,” Goode said.
Dr. Christopher Goode, @WVUMedicine chair of emergency medicine, joins @HoppyKercheval to discuss the safety of hospital visits. WATCH: https://t.co/wkudfIAoe1 pic.twitter.com/T5Hyp3FYxf
— MetroNews (@WVMetroNews) April 27, 2020
The pandemic is also changing how medical care and advice is delivered, according to Goode.
“How you interface with your healthcare provider is going to change,” Goode said. “Telemedicine, be it video visits, electronic visits, electronic chats via text or something of the nature.”
Patients with heart, vascular, intestinal, respiratory and orthopedic issue all have different needs that have to be carefully considered.
“People need to make sure we match the electronic means of how we communicate with our healthcare providers with our patients, that it matches the disease process,” Goode said.