Continuing Medical Education

It wasn’t planned but today was full of CME (continuing medical education).  It started with listening to a recording of an ICU physician in New York that my wife had received from a friend.  It was mostly advice to non-medical individuals to give hope that it is not inevitable that everyone will contract the virus.  The key is to watch what we touch, especially our faces. If we touch any common surfaces, We just need to cleanse immediately afterwards.  He reinforced that masks are good to use in order to remind us to keep our hands away.  Any barrier will do, including simple handkerchiefs.  Medical grade masks are really only necessary for health care workers who are around patients when the virus gets aerosolized (as in when someone is placed on the ventilator).

My telemedicine visits were light this morning so I kept busy around the house enjoying some of the beautiful weather we enjoyed.  While doing so I donned my ear buds and listened to a podcast.  This also was  done by a physician from New York but it was a talk given to other health care professionals in regards to when and who and how to deliver mechanical ventilation to those with COVID-19.  As resources get scarce, there will need to be difficult decisions to be made about who receives such treatment and who will not.  No one relishes thinking about considering such things. Do those with chronic medical conditions get put further down the list if there life expectancy is not long?  As bad as that sounds, is it any better to put off such decisions so that it is essentially first come first serve? Italy has had to grapple with such topics and it is getting close in New York.  I can only hope that the projections in St. Louis are accurate showing that we are equipped to handle what comes our way.  I agree, though, that now is the time to have the discussion and make decisions regarding such policies.

This afternoon I was sent a link to last week’s Grand Rounds at Washington University on the virus.  This talk was geared to students, doctors in training (residents and fellows) and researchers.  It was quite technical, covering the genetic make up of the virus and the rationale behind possible drug therapeutics from a molecular basis.  By the end of that lecture, my brain was quite full.  We have learned a lot about this virus but there is more to learn and I am glad to know that there are a lot of smart people working on it.  In all, I learned a lot today but am anxious to actually be of help.  I am confident that we can all make a difference, everyone of us in our own way.  We will keep learning as we go, one step at a time.