On April 2, the Ohio Academy of Family Physicians issued the following media advisory, attributed to OAFP President Anna McMaster, MD. Family physician practices may wish to adapt this statement, making it practice specific, for distribution to their local media.
Sorting Out Confusion: Your Family Physician Is There For You
During the rapidly changing circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Ohio Academy of Family Physicians (OAFP) wants to ensure patients that their family physicians are available and prepared to provide needed care.
“If patients have a health need, they should call their primary care physician to see how best they can handle that need safely and efficiently,” says OAFP President Anna McMaster, MD. “While your encounter may not be the typical in-person visit you’re used to, your family physician may instead be able to treat your health needs through telephone conversation, virtual chat, or using another telehealth platform to ensure the safe practice of social distancing.”
Some primary care physicians are taking care of immunizations in their practice parking lots or screening patients while the remain in their vehicles.
Call and inform your family physician of your health care needs. Your family physician will guide you as to how those needs can best be addressed in this unprecedented time.