With more people forced to stay indoors due to covid-19, the way we lead our lives has changed. We have had to adjust to a completely new normal, and while there have been challenges, not everything that has happened has been bad. Time and time again when certain circumstances take place, humanity has had to evolve in order to maintain a semblance of normalcy in our day-to-day lives.
Since March of 2020, we’ve seen many changes, adjustments and new ways of functioning in response to an epidemic that has impacted every part of the world and lives. Some positives have emerged from this, which are set to change our daily lives forever for the better. What are some of the good changes that have emerged from the occurrences of the last few months? Here are a few of them.
Efficiency in Healthcare
The recent events in regards to coronavirus, have created a need in customers and patients to get things done as quickly and as efficiently as possible. This means when they do leave the house, they want to be able to maximize their time so they aren’t exposed to crowds. This is where dispensing physicians come in. If a physician is able to prescribe and dispense medication on-site, it means a patient won’t have to deal with going to possibly crowded pharmacies and can get all their medical needs met in one place. It also gives the physician a chance to improve compliance and even spend more time with the patient, which has been documented to help improve outcomes. The medication is already pre-packaged meaning that it can be sanitized in advance. The benefits of physician dispensing include increased medication compliance and easier access to vital medication.
Digital Medicine
Doctors and other medical and healthcare professionals had more limitations placed on them in terms of being able to see patients and have regular consultations. It was advised that non-emergent patients shouldn’t come to clinics and hospitals, which meant a higher demand for something to fill in the gap. This has led to the acceleration of telemedicine and virtual medicine. The 3 months of lockdowns and working from home has driven up the use of telemedicine significantly. From dentists to doctors and even drug rehab services, the use of digital tools like Zoom and WebEx have actually allowed for patients to continue to receive quality care, and even improve their compliance to treatment measures and giving physicians more time to talk to patients. According to The Medical Futurist “doctors have been granted broader flexibility to treat patients remotely” during this time and this is actually a good thing. Virtual consultations have filled in the need for physicians to still see their patients and help them take care of their health.
Improved Self Care and Mental Health
There’s been a bigger focus on personal health as people are spending more time at home, and even less time dealing with commuting to work. This has created an opportunity for people to examine their health and habits and make positive changes to their routines. There’s been an uptick in home workouts, which are easier for people to do regularly and fit into their scaled down schedules. For many people, there’s been an improvement in mental health as the stress and strain of the commute has been reduced or removed completely. It’s also because people are improving their living conditions which is in turn helping them feel happier and be more productive.
Improved Hygiene
The most common piece of advice we were given at the beginning of the pandemic is that we had to practice better hygiene in order to fight the virus and prevent its spread. Better hygiene doesn’t just reduce the chance of spreading covid-19, it improves our habits too. People are washing and sanitizing their hands more often and sanitizing surfaces in their homes more. This is helping the whole world develop healthier habits and increase our hygiene. Hygiene used to be something we felt we could do without, but now it’s something we are even forced to practice when we go into public places.
More Innovation and Connectivity
There’s been more innovation than ever before in order to keep us connected even though we’re far apart. People have marveled at how we’ve been able to make use of software like Zoom, not just for work but for social purposes like staying connected to friends, family communication and even weddings and baby showers over Zoom. We have leveraged digital tools to help the world remain connected at a time where we need to be apart. Humanity is incredibly resilient and innovative, and we can turn a challenging time into something good.