Page 43 - Delaware Medical Journal - September/October 2020

CASE REPORT PRACTICE MANAGEMENT
HOW TO KEEP PATIENTS HEALTHY, ENGAGED IN THE COVID AGE
Tina Irgang Leaderman
It's becoming second nature these days to second-guess every outing that brings us in contact with other people.
For doctors, this has meant dealing with patients who are less likely to keep up with appointments, especially those for preventative screenings.
“Most are willing to come in, but certainly everybody is cautious and they want to hear what we’re doing to make sure they’re safe,” says Mark Corso, MD, FACG, of Gastroenterology Associates of patients who have elected to put off screening procedures a little bit further because they remain concerned.”
Angela Brown, MD, a family medicine physician with Total Care Physicians

has observed a drastic split between patients who insist on seeing their doctor in person even during the pandemic, and those who are concerned about doing so.
“What scares me is the people who have worrisome symptoms, like abdominal pain, but are scared to leave the house,” Brown says. “Those are the patients I’m most worried about.”
Deborah Zarek, MD, FACP, of Progressive Health of Delaware in Wilmington, sees a roughly 50-50
split in her patient population between those who are happy to come in for appointments and those who prefer to stay home. “I’ve been telling my older patients, if it’s something that could wait one more year, put it off, because the risk of getting coronavirus would be worse,” she says.
However, for some high-risk patients, continuing to put off preventive screenings such as colonoscopies
or endoscopies may not be a safe choice, says Corso. “Patients need to understand that six months into the pandemic, elective procedures that continue to be delayed may not be elective anymore.”
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