Of haircuts and not cutting healthcare corners

By Hisham Mahmoud, D.O.


AtlantiCare Physician Group Primary Care Plus, Cape May Court House

There are more vehicles on the roads, people attending gatherings, and locations opening.

People are doing activities and going places as they live their lives and focus on their priorities in our COVID-19-changed world.

We must all continue to act cautiously and responsibly to protect ourselves and others from spread of the virus.

I worry about my patients and our broader community on so many levels related to the impact of the virus.

Practicing safe and healthy behaviors to prevent getting and spreading COVID-19 includes ensuring we are as healthy as we can be.

The Kaiser Family Foundation’s June, 2020 Health Tracking Poll found many U.S. residents continue to delay seeking medical care. More than half of the respondents said they or another family member in their household skipped or postponed some type of medical or dental care because of coronavirus. We understand that closed offices or limited hours impacted people’s ability to access care. The study included mentions related to that. It also noted that “about half of those who say they or a family member postponed care say that feeling unsafe about visiting a medical facility during the outbreak was a reason for their decision.”

My usual recommendation is that those who are in good health have annual appointment.

Having an annual visit with your primary care provider is important for your overall wellbeing and safety. This is not new but it is especially important today. It gives you the opportunity to share your health history and concerns with your provider.

These visits help patients and me get to know each other and to prevent, detect, and manage healthcare issues. We discuss what is important to patients and their families in living a healthy life.

For those who have healthcare issues that require closer monitoring, I might recommend appointments twice a year or more often.

Social and traditional media stories over the last four months featured people bemoaning their long locks. How-to-cut-hair tutorials grew in popularity as fast as bangs covered our eyes. People rejoiced when shops reopened. They posted selfies featuring foils in their hair – showing they were safely waiting outside shops as dye revived their roots.

You might have called your stylist or barber to ask what precautions he or she is taking. That’s great and prudent. How your hair looks and feels makes you look and feel better about yourself.

I get the excitement and enthusiasm.

I trust and appreciate my barber.

Here’s where that other important relationship comes into play.

Have you called your primary care provider? We’ve taken extraordinary measures to protect our patients beyond our standard precautions. This includes enhancing our cleaning and disinfecting measures in all patient and staff areas. We’ve redesigned our scheduling and office layout to adhere to physical distancing guidelines. We screen patients by phone and prescribe and arrange COVID-19 tests before their office, or during a telehealth visit when appropriate. We are and will continue to do so much more. Ask us about it.

We’re making getting care easy, convenient and safe. Most people’s routines have changed. As you manage all your responsibilities in new ways, you might find it easier to book an appointment online. A telehealth visit might work better for your schedule when you don’t need to be physically in the office but you do need your provider to evaluate or guide you through a health issue.

Putting off primary or specialty care visits can undercut your efforts to stay healthy.

Cut your risk of health issues that could leave you curled up on the couch with permanent negative effects by making and keeping appointments.

Tell your provider what personal style of care you want. Discuss condition treatments you might need.

Would I be thrilled if patients posted selfies celebrating they’d gotten their flu shot, made an online annual physical appointment, or gotten their lab work done?

Naturally.