The COVID pandemic has influenced a massive shift in the way many sectors conduct business. Working from home, delivery of foods and other goods, virtual schooling, telehealth and countless other examples are just some of the ways businesses have had to adapt during the coronavirus pandemic.
It’s no surprise that the healthcare industry is one of the hardest hit by the pandemic as hospitals hit their capacities and healthcare workers fought tirelessly to help patients. With these challenges came solutions that we are optimistic will change the healthcare industry for the better.
Ways the Healthcare Industry Adapted to the Pandemic
- Telehealth: What was once a convenient option for people to receive treatment and diagnosis became an imperative tool for patients and doctors to limit exposure during the height of the pandemic. 1 in 4 (27% or 15 million) of all Medicare and Medicare Advantage beneficiaries reported using Telehealth between summer (July) and fall of 2020.
- Distributed Care: “Distributed care” refers to the notion that care should happen where health happens, at home and in the community. Care from clinics and hospitals were redistributed throughout communities to places like churches, schools, grocery stores and workplaces. This can be seen as a positive shift as medical care such as testing and vaccines were dispersed throughout communities at places where they were easily accessible.
- Healthcare preparedness: It was quickly realized that America and the World health care infrastructure were not prepared for the pandemic. COVID-19 put everyone into high-gear with how quickly we learned the virus could spread. Immediately people began to notice that taking care of their health was integral in keeping them safe and able to survive the disease.
Ways people kept themselves safe in the wake of the pandemic:
- Social distancing – limiting contact with others outside of your household. When in public or in a large group setting, maintaining a distance of at least 6 feet from others as not to spread the virus. Many businesses have implemented ways that their employees and customers can practice social distancing by installing barriers, signs and new technology such as QR codes which limit human interaction.
- Washing your hands and keeping good hygiene – Although this may seem self-explanatory, the virus was a wake up call for many people to keep their personal hygiene and cleanliness a top priority as a means of contracting or spreading the virus.
- Masking-up when sick – The US implemented masking policies that were long practices in many Asian countries prior to the pandemic. Many Asia countries such as China, Japan and South Korea wore masks even if they just had a common cold as a means of protecting themselves and others. The US quickly adapted to these practices and will hopefully be more mindful to use them when they are sick in the future.
MedifriendRx® Keeping You Safe
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought the concept of social distancing to the forefront. With a second wave of COVID and respiratory ailments to follow, we know the importance of keeping sick people out of public places, including stores where they can infect others. (Read about the benefits of integrating point of care pharmacy solutions.)
The presence of the medifriendRx® kiosk throughout hospital systems increases the likeliness that the patient can pick up their prescription without exposing others to illness or being exposed to someone else’s illness at a public retail pharmacy.
If the pandemic has taught us one thing in the last couple of years, it’s to never underestimate the power of healthcare and medicine. We made tremendous strides as a society in just a matter of months in terms of our knowledge and understanding within the healthcare space. It is our responsibility to keep moving forward and implement practices that keep both physicians and patients safe.
Learn More
To learn more about how the MedifriendRx® pharmaceutical kiosk can help improve your healthcare business contact us directly at hello@medifriendrx.com.