(Newswire.net — April 30, 2020) —
Despite the global pandemic, there are still instances of injuries that require treatment. Coronavirus patients have created the headlines, but what many don’t know is what to do if they experience other illnesses or injuries. To better invest in the positive treatment of all individuals, many hospitals have resorted to new planning techniques to free up space, practitioners, and treatment processes. The scale to make these movements has shifted the practice of orthopedic surgeries and treatments. Below is a depiction of these shifts and different examples of what you can do to play your part in the adjusted orthopedic process and what to do if you do get injured and need orthopedic care.
Seeking Care
The process would proceed as normal for prescribed care. The individual would call ahead of time to their local health facility to describe the issue. The orthopedic team within that hospital would detail their health care plans, deciding if there was another route that could be taken to prescribe care. Most health facilities continue to operate with the on-hand staff needed to treat patients, but some staff have been limited or shifted due to the pandemic.
Working with your regular doctor or practitioner is a good start. They have knowledge of the resources available to you within the health care facility. Their expert opinion can be trusted and they provide the best resources in time of need. Their access to options remains limited, but their standing holds more weight than that of a basic injury claim.
Seeking online resources for pain medication and over-the-counter options might be a good path to travel. There are many different injury guides that prescribe the steps to be taken if you encounter an orthopedic injury.
Playing the Part
Hospitals are also calling for individuals with injuries to play their role under these circumstances. If there is an open wound or exposed skin, professionals are asking that people cover these areas completely prior to check-in. Wearing the proper PPE is also a requirement of those looking to seek treatment. Opting to wear a mask and utilize latex gloves is the proper preparedness needed to ensure that outside forces are not attacking our health care facilities.
If there are treatment plans that can be prescribed from home, seek these options prior to check-in. Most orthopedic treatments are prescribed via physical fitness regimens or occupational therapy planning. The internet is full of resources that scale your injury to size and condition, allowing you to locate options that will suit your needs. The internet is full of medical resources that are backed by years of research. Digesting this information and placing some self-prescription into effect will help to reduce the threat to the health care system.
Routing Professionals and Injury Types
The personal routing of care professionals is also working to add stability to the orthopedic stance during this pandemic. The stay-at-home order is allowing these professionals to connect to their patients via different outlets. Video streaming has gone a long way to prescribing instances of therapy. Orthopedic professionals are able to access web cam services to deliver important messages to their clients. By placing the professional face-to-face with the client, they can still hold that interaction needed to foster improvements.
The injury type can also factor into the care process. A simple twist or rolled ankle, for example, would require a healthy dose of ice and rest. If you are to break a bone or tear your holding tissue, the seriousness within this injury calls for action. Place your pain on a scale. Any pain level that reaches an amount of unbearable pressure, talk with your local provider to ensure you are able to receive the necessary level of health care. If you can manage the pain or can be prescribed with over-the-counter options to limit the pain, go this route instead. The self-prescription portion of the orthopedic process is crucial during this period in time. Exhaust all options before taking a trip to the emergency room or hospital. These regions are over-booked with patients, so anything that we can do to exhaust prior resources and seek alternative forms of assistance will help to limit the risk of placing your immune health in the balance.