What You Need To Know:
Dr. Melanie Handley, MD, is a Pediatric Anesthesiologist in Houston, Texas (The 4th largest city in the country and the world’s largest medical complex.) Dr. Melanie Handley, MD, is a Pediatric Anesthesiologist in Houston, Texas (The 4th largest city in the country and the world’s largest medical complex.) I had an opportunity to talk with my friend and health care professional Dr. Handley about what it’s like to be on the front lines during the coronavirus crisis. Here’s what she said:
Let me start by saying we are ok but in full conservation mode. I was finally able to get my hands on one N95 mask on Thursday. We’ve been told to guard it with our lives. This is the only one we have for the foreseeable future. So, we’ll be using it for every patient we take care of which can be 15-20 per day. This is contradictory to our standard practice of discarding masks after each patient encounter. The CDC magically changed the rules of sanitation and said the “single use masks” can actually be reused until soiled.
Our hospital has attempted to cancel elective surgeries, however, it’s been tough. Parents are off work and therefore want their kid’s surgeries done as originally scheduled. Parents are comforted by the fact that their kids aren’t likely to become ill due to the coronavirus. They are unaware of the risks they impose on us (healthcare workers) and the use of precious resources (masks, surgical caps, gloves, etc.) The kids are the vectors and spreading the virus unknowingly because they don’t have symptoms.
The other way that our workforce has been affected is some of my colleagues are refusing to come in to work. They’re using “sick” days and staying at home. This means, those of us who agree to work are working more, taking more call, have a much higher risk of exposure. I just can’t NOT go in. There is something in me that feels an obligation to my profession, and I recognize we have to do what we have to do. We are doing our best to change our intubation practices in effort to minimize our exposure yet conserve our resources.
