At the moment, conditions of the lockdowns that swept the nation from March 2020 to the end of last year have started to ease up in some places, making it possible for people to get out and about and try to start resuming their normal lives.
For some people, however, they’ve finally started managing the physical, financial, and mental struggles of being locked down, and they’re now having a problem getting back out into the real world. For some, life after lockdown has them feeling anxious and unsure. Are you one of those people? Read on below to find out the signs and symptoms that you may be suffering from post-lockdown anxiety and what you can do about it.
Symptoms of Post-Lockdown Anxiety
For many people, the thought of going back into the real world and being around crowds when there’s no cure for COVID-19 can leave them just as anxious and worried as the COVID-19 virus did to begin with. Some signs and symptoms of this anxiety are listed below.
Stomach cramps
Fatigue
Problems concentrating
Shortness of breath
Sweating
Your heart is racing
You’re worried about the future
Problems sleeping
While these symptoms could be from a variety of different things, if they continue you should see your primary healthcare provider to see if you’re suffering from post-lockdown and anxiety so that you can set up a treatment plan. It is nothing to be ashamed of, as many people are having this problem now that the restrictions are being lifted.
By Christopher Maiona, M.D., SFHM, chief medical officer, PatientKeeper, Inc.
Christopher Maiona, M.D.
After all that transpired in 2020, it’s understandable if people are reluctant to make predictions about what will happen in 2021. I suspect some prognosticators retired their crystal balls, or at least are finding the view a bit hazy right now.
And yet, in the healthcare IT domain, I’d argue that the major trends entering 2020 continued – some even accelerated – during the unpredicted chaos of last year. The movements in health IT toward greater mobility, interoperability, and remote care capabilities all manifested themselves in profound ways during the pandemic. Each will remain a priority for provider organizations in 2021, and I predict (warily) will see progress in the coming year.
Mobility Plus
Even as mobile devices have become more commonplace in healthcare settings, provider organizations still face challenges in realizing the full potential of these platforms. While there is utility in the ability to view clinical results or send messages (hopefully HIPAA-compliant ones) to colleagues, the real value is to integrate these features into a larger bundle of capabilities central to common provider workflows. Doing so places the entire technological ecosystem in the palm of a clinician’s hand. I predict we will see continued feature growth in the mobile space to better facilitate a provider’s ability to deliver care in the moment, wherever and whenever that moment may be.
To highlight where this evolution of mobility is leading us, consider this scenario. A provider reviews a concerning test or lab result on their phone. Without waiting to address this on a desktop station, they can utilize CPOE on their mobile device to order a follow-up study, and request a notification be “pushed” to them when the study is completed (or there is no result in timely fashion). They can query their fully-integrated messaging feature to identify the appropriate specialist on call and immediately send a secure text, which automatically incorporates a link to the patient’s full chart and all relevant data, and offers the user the ability to add a few lines of text to clarify the reason for consultation. The attending can confirm consult receipt and may further discuss the care plan. The consultant in turn may enter preliminary orders while the attending can message the larger care team (nurse, case manager, etc.) with an update before dictating a quick note.
With the continued advances in NLP and note automation, I anticipate the provider component of note generation will once again focus on pertinent positives/negatives, thought process and the plan, leaving the more administrative documentation to the system. Taken together, these advances will help free the provider from the constraints of the desktop terminal and facilitate the advancement of care. I don’t expect all of this to come to fruition in 2021, but we will take initial steps along the path.
Finally, on the mobile front, I would expect to see continued development of virtual assistants, which will one day move us from simple screen navigation to CPOE and touch-free engagement.
Following a year marked by one challenging headline after another in 2020, news in the fight against COVID-19 will likely turn better in 2021 thanks to improved treatments and the arrival of effective vaccines. From a Health IT standpoint, however, both the good news and the bad are together fueling a steady growth in data volumes and complexity that will require new levels of IT coordination and data management.
The reason for this is that medical professionals now have a year’s worth of health metrics on the spread of COVID-19 and reams of structured, unstructured, and behavioral data on treatment regimens and patient outcomes. At the same time, a similar avalanche of data is growing around the administration and efficacy of newly-approved vaccines. Taken together, these factors present challenges of both complexity and scale.
Let’s take a look at three resulting trends we’ll likely see in 2021 as data-driven professionals seek to address these challenges through better ways to leverage information for insight and action against the global pandemic.
Trend 1: Enhanced adoption of common health IT data standards – Whether it’s through the ANSI-accredited Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR) schema or similar frameworks, we’ll see a push to standardize health-related data across mobile phone apps, cloud communications, EHR-based data sharing, server communication in large institutional healthcare providers, and more. The goal is to break down silos between these disparate data sources and platforms. And there’s a cultural component to the silo-busting as well, in that common standards and definitions for data can also help technologists and business users collaborate more efficiently. That can be a challenge in any domain area; but in the case of COVID-19, success around seamless, secure, and proactive analysis of data can literally save lives.
The pandemic has made us all a little more aware of our health. We overanalyze every cough and sniffle. Is that just a sore throat, or the end of the world? Does a little shortness of breath after a run mean I should quarantine for 10 days? What about that new strain from the U.K. I keep hearing about?
With the hospitals at or over capacity, emergency rooms are closed to casual queries. You might find it a little difficult to make a doctor’s appointment because they have their hands full. Beyond COVID-related questions, there are other diseases and injuries that still need attention. We are not experiencing any fewer cases of heart disease, diabetes, strep throat, and broken arms.
Babies are still being born. Auto accidents are still occurring. Kitchen accidents still cause cuts and infections. Serious burns still need immediate medical attention. Yet we have fewer medical professionals with the bandwidth to attend to these needs. The average person with no medical training is expected to do more. We are all going to have to take more ownership of our medical care. If you can’t or won’t go to the doctor for treatment and advice, here is the next best thing:
Do Home Testing
There are many tests available that you can do yourself from the comfort and privacy of your own home. Even if the results aren’t perfect, they can give you some idea of whether or not you should insist on seeing a doctor. There are even products you can buy for your pets that serve a similar purpose.
2020 is behind you, and it’s the season to roll up your sleeves, pull out your documents, open your checkbook, and work to choose the right health insurance plan to meet your needs for 2021.
While there are many healthcare trends and predictions floating around for 2021, the one thing that remains the same is the fact that you’re going to need high-quality health insurance to see you and your family through the bad times and the good. If you’re like most Americans, you’re at a loss when it comes to knowing how to pick the best plan. Read on below for a few tips to help you make the right choice.
Consider Your Health
If you have any medical conditions that require ongoing care, such as heart disease or diabetes, you want to choose a plan that provides you with lower copayments and lower deductibles, as you’ll be visiting your doctor more than you would if you were in excellent health. The same holds true if you’re expecting a baby in the next year, as you’ll have more frequent appointments and a big hospital bill coming after the birth. While you’ll pay a higher premium for your health insurance plan, your out-of-pocket costs should be quite a bit lower.
The one thing you don’t want to do is just pick a health insurance plan from only a few options. Instead, check out different medical quotes, then go with the one that offers you the most coverage for your money.
Do the Math
When searching for the right insurance provider, most people focus on how much their monthly premium is going to be. In reality, you should do the math and go with the lowest deductible, instead of the lowest monthly payment, especially if you anticipate having to visit your doctor often.
Seeing a psychiatrist doesn’t have to be difficult, challenging, nor scary. Or, maybe you’ve been told myths about how seeing these mental healthcare providers isn’t going to help you or that they aren’t going to know how to help you or approach you with care, kindness, and compassion.
The reasons to see a psychiatrist are many, and being an anti-psychiatrist does you a lot of harm in the long run. The most prominent myths about psychiatrists’ care can be detrimental to one’s mental health and lead to an individual’s harm. The following are some of the most dangerous myths about care from a psychiatrist.
My Primary Care Physician Handles All of My Care
Individuals suffering from a mental health disorder often think they can rely solely on their primary care provider for all of their medical needs. Still, mental health is a specialty care area that requires advanced knowledge, training, and education beyond that which can be provided by a general practitioner. In other words, your regular doctor is not equipped to handle mental health issues.
When their patients require mental healthcare, general practitioners refer these patients to respected and qualified mental health professionals, which means a psychiatrist.
Only Weak People Need a Psychiatrist
Seeing a psychiatrist is not a sign of weakness, and the people treated by psychiatrists aren’t crazy. They have a mental disorder beyond their control and have nothing to do with being weak or strong. Likewise, people suffer various chemical imbalances that cause mental illnesses in their brains. This is a medical condition, not a weakness.
People See A Psychiatrist To “Sit On A Couch and Talk About Their Feelings”
This is one of the most common misconceptions about psychiatrists exacerbated by movies and television and exaggerated tales from ages past. Unfortunately, while widely untrue, it’s one of the most popular misconceptions about psychiatry. Psychiatrists work to ensure the comfort of their patients. While this might be on a couch, it can range from a chair or a conversation between a table or even a walk-and-talk through a park. The objective is comfort – comfort for the patient and the psychiatrist.
Additionally, they’re not just going to talk about your feelings or your childhood. They want to understand things their patients encounter and the nuances of their lives. They work to discover challenges and pains their patients face, including talking about a patient’s childhood and feelings.
Organizations are facing greater scrutiny in this increasingly regulated world. And in 2021, the focus on compliance is expected to increase. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) affects thousands of organizations across the U.S, including many who support healthcare providers instead of directly delivering care themselves. On top of it, the challenges of maintaining round the clock compliance with HIPAA regulations keep adding up.
While technology has brought upon new challenges in healthcare data security, technologies have also changed the way companies collaborate. For example, the advent of modern HIPAA compliance software has brought about a high level of flexibility in logging in reports and communication that allows employees, co-workers, and managers to connect easily. This helps managers to have overall transparency and a clear picture of their entire HIPAA compliance program.
In today’s article, we will take a closer look at the main challenges faced by healthcare organizations in maintaining or implementing HIPAA compliance and how our HIPAA compliance software can help you address these problems.
Simplifying the Challenges of HIPAA – 9 Pain Points for Administrators
Administrative Burden
You don’t have to acquire several solutions to ensure each critical element of HIPAA is being addressed separately. HIPAA Ready integrates all compliance modules and allows you to ensure compliance with just one solution. The federal law HIPAA was, in fact, designed to reduce administrative burden. And if your compliance efforts are proving to be more difficult rather than reducing your burden, then your entire program is meaningless.
Areas of Vulnerabilities
In addition to technology, numerous factors can affect the security of your health information data. For example, growth in your business will result in an increased number of processes, devices, and even employees. Hence, an increased number of risks are associated with the growth of your business. Risk analysis and risk management are an integral part of HIPAA compliance. Performing risk analysis can understandably be time-consuming and costly if you hire third parties to do it for you. But with HIPAA Ready, you can easily identify areas of vulnerabilities and mitigate them to the extent possible with easy to use a risk analysis and management feature.
Training and Educating Staff
If you are in the healthcare industry, you already know how crucial HIPAA training is. But this is one area most organizations struggle with. How to deliver training to employees? How to schedule these training sessions? Where should I maintain documentation for these training sessions? Have all the employees undergone training?
The challenge is even greater for larger organizations. But you do not have to worry about managing HIPAA training if you are using HIPAA Ready. HIPAA Ready will enable you to effortlessly manage and provide HIPAA training to members of your workforce and ensure that everyone is on the same page.
(Connected Communities of Care Definition: An innovative method for effective population health management using social determinants of health. A way to streamline effective coordination between medical, government and community-based organizations.)
We ask this type of question every day. For example, we may ask? “Is this product that I purchased making a difference?” or “Is this advanced training that I completed making a difference?” Implicit in this common question is the expectation that because we have made an investment in something to achieve a result, the result should be better or more improved than the pre-investment state. So too with a Connected Community of Care (CCC).
As I have discussed in previous blogs, establishing a CCC requires a substantial investment in both time and money. Therefore, it is only natural to ask? “Is this CCC making a difference, and how would I know?” Unfortunately, most CCCs are established with very little forethought given to this exact question. While we expect the CCC will help community residents improve their health and well-being, how will we know conclusively that this has happened?
How will we demonstrate its impact to a potential partner or? more importantly? a funder? This is where data, measurement, and evaluation come into play. For most people, these three words cause anxiety levels to immediately rise. But this doesn’t need to be the case; a little planning and forethought can go a long way to assuaging one’ anxiety when asked the question, “Is your CCC making a difference?”
Before we think about what data we will need to answer this question or how we will collect it, we first need to establish what we mean by “making a difference”. Understand, there is no one correct answer to this question. What may constitute a positive difference or impact for one organization may be much different for another, even similar organization. Many factors contribute to the final answer and each are usually organization-, ecosystem- and situation-specific.
In practice, there are many ways to define making a difference. First, we can look at quantitative or numeric information to make this determination. Are we providing more nutritious meals to indigent residents? Is the number of inappropriate Emergency Department visits declining or, conversely, is the number of residents having visits with a primary care provider increasing? All of these effects can be counted and judged against some predefined goal (more on this later).
Second, we can assess making a difference by asking the people that are being touched by the CCC. Through surveys or brief interviews, community residents can tell you in their own words what impact, if any, the CCC has on their lives. While this qualitative (non-numeric) information can often be more informative than simple quantitative information because it represents the voice of the individual, to answer the question of whether your CCC is making a difference, you will also still likely need to establish numeric goals.
A third way to assess whether your CCC is making a difference is indirectly via the financial and non-financial opportunities that arise as a result of having a CCC versus not having one. For example, having a CCC may make it much easier to perform contact tracing among vulnerable populations during a pandemic like COVID-19. Having a CCC may also enable a healthcare system or a community-based organization (CBO) to apply for a grant that it otherwise might not be competitively positioned to do if it did not have an integrated system of healthcare and social service providers such as a CCC.
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