In the middle of the corona crisis, hardly anyone feels like visiting a doctor. After all, doctors' offices are often places where viruses and bacteria increasingly accumulate. But corona virus or not – even in the corona pandemic, many a visit to the doctor cannot be avoided. How I can protect myself from being infected with the coronavirus when visiting a doctor, we spoke to the infectious medic Professor Thomas Löscher from the Professional Association of German Internists (BDI e.V.) in Munich.
BRIGITTE.de: Professor Löscher, which doctor's appointments should I still keep at the moment and which ones better to postpone?
Professor Thomas Löscher: If it is not an emergency, I recommend calling the doctor before the appointment and first asking if the practice is open at all. Because there are a number of medical practices that are currently closed. This applies, for example, to many dentists who currently only treat acute patients. Then I should discuss with my attending doctor whether the scheduled appointment should take place or be postponed. Nobody has to go into practice for a recipe, you can have it sent or picked up nowadays. But if I have acute complaints, I should call the practice and then really go there.
When I call, I can also ask whether suspected corona cases are being examined in practice or not. Many practices send people suspected of having corona to special centers for testing in order to avoid the risk of infection for the other patients as far as possible. I can also ask which infection protection measures have been taken and how I should behave in practice.
What precautions should doctors have taken?
For example, some practices only allow very few people in at the same time, then the waiting room is empty and the likelihood of meeting another patient is low. I think that makes a lot of sense, because the fewer people get closer, the better the protection.
Some practices also provide all patients with mouth and nose protection when entering the practice and the staff also protect themselves accordingly. Then the risk of infection with the coronavirus is low – even if people are treated in practice with a corresponding suspicion.
In addition, there should be sufficient disinfectant dispensers and shaking hands is of course not in fashion at the moment.
And how can I protect myself as a patient? Should I wear a protective mask?
Yes, of course you can wear a mask. This is controversial because the simple mouth-nose protective masks do not really reliably protect the wearer from infection. However, if everyone in a room wears a commercially available mouth protection or even a self-made fabric mask, this can help to reduce the risk of infection for everyone. Some people are infected with the corona virus, but have no symptoms. But even with them, droplets containing viruses can get into the environment by speaking, which is reduced considerably by simple masks. It is of course particularly important that people with cold symptoms such as cough wear a mask to protect their fellow human beings from infection.
Only the FFP2 or FFP3 masks, with or without a valve, which are generally used by doctors and medical staff, offer real protection against infection for the wearer. You cannot walk around with a mask like this all day because it affects breathing. However, if you belong to a corona risk group, e.g. has an older age and / or certain chronic underlying diseases, and therefore wants to protect himself, such an FFP2 mask without valve could be used to protect a doctor or while shopping. However, they are not so easy to get at the moment. Even in the clinics, these masks are in short supply and must therefore be used several times, although this is not actually intended. But at the moment there is no other way.
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Does it also make sense to wear (protective) glasses?
No, protective glasses or a protective shield only makes sense for medical personnel when taking measures on the patient, in which the formation of aerosols must be expected or which take place so close to the patient that droplets can be transmitted, which may also be possible through the eye can be done.
What can I do if I cannot keep my distance from other patients, for example in the stairwell or in the hallway of the practice?
If someone comes towards me in the hallway or in the stairwell, I should dodge or even go back to make distance possible. A distance of two meters makes sense in any case and that's what many people do.
Can previous patients get viruses in the air in the doctor's room?
Yes, especially in practices where people come with all sorts of things and also people who want to have a suspected coronavirus cleared up, all patients should be given oral nose protection. In addition, it is common in the practices that, in accordance with the hygiene regulations, a simple wipe disinfection with alcohol-soaked wipes takes place between two patients. The droplets fall down relatively quickly, so such a disinfection of the surfaces in the patient area, for example if someone coughs, is also very useful. The examination rooms should be set up in such a way that such wiping disinfections are easily possible.
What about magazines and information material in the waiting room – can I get infected there?
Yes, I would recommend removing such things from the waiting room at the moment. This also applies to things like the espresso machine or the soda maker. It all has to get out. You have to see that there are no things you can touch. There must also be disinfectant dispensers everywhere. Alternatively, if I can wash my hands with soap, it's just as effective.
Would you also advise to bring your own pen if you need to fill out a form or something similar?
Well, I see the risk of infection very low. In any case, after everything you touch, wash your hands thoroughly or disinfect your hands with an alcohol-based disinfectant. If you do this consistently, you are actually relatively well protected. If someone is weakened in their defenses, such as cancer patients, patients who are given very high doses of cortisone, or very old people, it is also possible to put on gloves. These do not necessarily have to be rubber gloves, cloth gloves do too. This means that the risk is significantly lower. After removing the gloves, do not touch your face directly, but wash or disinfect your hands first.
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Should I take a shower after visiting the doctor to rinse off any viruses?
No, in my opinion that is unnecessary. The main route of infection is via the droplets, which are secreted when speaking and especially when coughing. Distance is crucial.
Washing the clothes I wore when I went to the doctor is unnecessary, isn't it?
Yes, that doesn't have to be the case either.
Thank you for this information!
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