"Open wide, please."

To learn more about how customers are finding their way, step by step, into a new sense of normal, ZOOM MED asked: To what extent has the pandemic changed how medical practices and clinics are working? What have they been doing in order to be able to continue treating patients during the lockdown? Below, ZOOM MED presents some of the latest news taken from industry publications in ophthalmology and dentistry.

Dr. Savak Teymoorian speaking with a patient at Harvard Eye drive-through IOP clinic.

Drive-through IOP checks

Patients with chronic illnesses require regular check-ups, even during the COVID-19 crisis. Glaucoma patients, for example, need to undergo interocular pressure checks at defined intervals so that they can be suitably treated in the event that abnormalities are found. Something which initially was not possible in many practices because of the strict lockdown restrictions. But physicians and clinics responded quickly to address the issue, establishing so-called "drive-through IOP check clinics" which allowed patients to pull up and have their IOP measured without ever needing to get out of the car – much like a restaurant drive-through. A physician, speaking about the advantages of this approach in the industry publication CRS Today, said: "This helps to ensure that we won’t end up with hundreds of people who need appointments for IOP checks when the practice opens." And indeed, when it came time to reopen, the number of patients requiring an urgent glaucoma follow-up was significantly lower.

Reducing aerosol-related infection risk in dental care

"Open wide, please." An all-too-familiar request from our trips to the dentist, and one that raises the question of how both personnel and patients can be protected against infection during dental treatments.
We know that SARS-CoV-2 is transmitted through exposed mucous membranes. Infection can therefore occur via the mucous membranes of the eyes, nose or mouth during dental treatment, says Dr. Thomas Lang from Essen, Germany, in an article for ZWP Online.
"Why don't we have patients just keep their protective masks on during treatment?" wondered Lang. And hence the idea was born to treat patients with the use of a rubber dam while at the same time having them wear their protective masks. ZWP Online describes the procedure as follows: "A slit is cut into the protective mask (see illustration). The rubber dam is then applied through the opening in the mask (see illustration). The patient's nose is also covered by the protective mask, and the eyes are safeguarded with protective goggles. As a result, mucous membrane exposure is eliminated. Another advantage of this approach is that the mask protects the patient's cheeks and lips by preventing them from coming into direct contact with the rubber dam. But what do patients think about it? "Combining the protective goggles, protective mask and rubber dam gives customers their safety back. And if proper prior guidance is provided, the patient is provided with protection they can feel."

A protective mask with a slit in it

A patient with a rubber dam, a highly elastic sheet used in dentistry for various procedures, including endodontic treatments and fillings, to prevent saliva from entering the treatment area.

Digitalizing processes: dealing with up to 72% lower waiting room capacities

ZOOM MED illustration, which was creating using information from the June 2020 issue of EuroTimes

The additional hygiene measures currently in effect are presenting smaller clinics in particular (e.g. dentistry practices) with challenges. One of these is the physical distancing required in waiting rooms. On account of the protective measures, waiting areas are now experiencing a drop in capacity of up to 72%. This can be seen in the following ZOOM MED illustration, which was creating using information from the June 2020 issue of EuroTimes:

Moreover, to reduce patient numbers in hospitals, all clinical research has been put on hold, and prescriptions are being sent to patients in the mail.
According to an article in CRSToday Europe, by Dr. Giselle Ricur and Dr. Roger Zaldivar, digitalization can actually help maintain physical distancing. The pictures below show how the two physicians are putting a virtual COVID-19 workflow into practice in their clinics:

A medical technician performs a routine test on the patient...

...and discusses them with the patient via digital communication technology,...

...either from home...

...or from within the clinic...

... to maintain physical distancing.

Mobile temperature check stations at the main entrance to SNEC.

Protecting patients from the moment they step foot in the clinic

An article in the industry publication CRS Today, written by two physicians from the Singapore National Eye Center (SNEC), describes the measures their taskforce employs to protect patients. These range from text messages sent to patients prior to their appointments, describing the hygiene measures in effect at the center, to recommending patients to arrive alone or with only one accompanying person. Body temperature checks are performed the moment patients enter the building, and questionnaires are used to determine if patients have travelled to high-risk areas.

The new normal

Only the future will tell exactly what the new normal will look like. Many of our customers have already taken measures to protect patients and to make treatments safer. One opportunity lies in digitalized processes. ZEISS Medical Technology has been working on digital solutions for health care for a long time. Due to the pandemic, these are now gaining new significance.

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