User:Makenzie.uhsp/“Social Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic.”

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The COVID-19 pandemic has drastically affected the healthcare world in many ways. Many of these effects are social, such as the fluctuation in mental state among healthcare providers, and the provisions in patient health care.

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Due to the isolation, quarantine, and lockdown guidelines, providing for patients have been very difficult. One of the major changes in healthcare was adapting to online patient counseling and care. Telemedicine, healthcare services provided via telephone, was deemed successful according to the article “Suddenly Becoming a “virtual Doctor”. This method allowed for a safer option for patients to meet with their healthcare providers, as it was not in person. It also was convenient for those who were having troubles finding modes of transportation during lockdown. The only downfall to this method was not being able to properly form connections with patients. This method also made it hard to pick up on the patient’s nonverbal cues, mood, and feelings.

The COVID-19 healthcare changes were not only hard for the patients, but also hard for the healthcare providers. In the article “Exploring Nurses’ Perception of Taking Care of Patients with Coronavirus Disease” nurses’ claim that they were under an immense amount of stress, and felt great amounts of anxiety when caring for COVID-19 patients. Similar to this article, “The Experiences of Health-Care Providers during the COVID-19 Crisis in China” also state that healthcare providers suffered from depression, stress, anxiety, insomnia, and more. These mental and social effects have caused healthcare providers to engage with coping mechanisms. As stated in “A Qualitative Study on the Psychological Experience of Caregivers of COVID-19 Patients” coping mechanisms include isolation from others, forms of distractions, use of humor, and rationalization.

Overall, the COVID-19 pandemic has forced many people to alter their daily routines and lifestyle, causing a major social impact. In particular, the mental health of healthcare workers, and the provisions for patient care has been extremely effected.