RCPI surveys doctors on Covid-19 impact

The survey of the RCPI doctors underscores the challenge of eliminating the backlog in electoral processes

The doctors were much busier; Many have noticed changes in their usual job and workload. The move to virtual consultations has been significant. Concerns about delays in evaluating and treating patients were highlighted as challenges in a comprehensive survey conducted by the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland (RCPI) on the impact of Covid-19 on doctors.

Uncertainty and stress were also a challenge for many. In the public health sector, there were concerns that the shift to Covid-19 had neglected other core areas of their work, such as health protection.

Since the pandemic started, doctors have been less able to meet physical activity guidelines. However, most of the respondents took some time off during the pandemic. Mostly this annual vacation was planned.

A number of public health doctors who responded emphasized that the workload had increased significantly, moving from Monday to Friday shift to seven days a week.

The main challenges to health resumption were assessing the extent of unmet needs and addressing the electoral backlog.

Managing physical distancing in clinical settings, preparing for a second surge in Covid-19 infections, and maintaining the health and well-being of the workforce were also seen as challenges.

A significant shift towards digital health came from the RCPI survey of more than 170 doctors, including returnees who have practiced from retirement and abroad, as the number of video consultations has been 10 times since the start of the pandemic .

Almost three times as many people used telephone consultations compared to their pre-pandemic practice.

Video conferencing with coworkers was a trend that respondents believed would continue. Three quarters of the respondents said that they would use it in the future.

Similarly, for distance learning, 78 percent believed they would use distance learning in the future.

At the same time, delivering digital health has not been without its challenges.

Switching to online consultations with patients has been challenging. Many felt that this had a negative impact on communication with patients, families and colleagues and were concerned about the quality and safety of services provided under these conditions.

Problems with the IT infrastructure and support were mentioned frequently.

New skills and knowledge would have to be integrated into future education and training programs so that people can face the challenges and innovations of the pandemic. This included education and training programs on hard skills and knowledge, as well as useful software and apps for delivering telemedicine, and poorer skills in communicating with patients and conducting meetings / webinars.

Doctors also identified the need for skills to translate clinical skills into virtual consultations, e.g. for evaluating patients. This has also been mentioned several times.

Doctors expected electronic prescribing to be more common in the future. Almost four in ten respondents (39%) said they would use this as part of their future work.

The workplaces had met the requirements for safety and personal protective equipment well. Individually, people paid more attention to the use of face masks when commuting and other infection control measures such as hand washing.

The survey was carried out in July this year. The college asked its members and colleagues how Covid-19 had affected their work, education, and general wellbeing.

The RCPI asked about doctors' views on how Covid-19 should have changed the landscape in terms of patient care, medical education and health policy areas for the future.

The survey also asked doctors where they think the RCPI needs to develop policy and advocate change, address concerns and respond to new opportunities.

Based on the responses, the most important areas were doctor recruitment and retention, and doctor wellbeing. Other areas of concern for possible policy development have been health inequalities, the extension of hospital diagnostics and care to the community, actions to remove the electoral backlog and digital health.