speech on the work of doctors in the situation of covid 19
Answers
Answer:
May 19, 2020
In late March, several news outlets1,2 ran headlines stating that hundreds of Iranians died and others went blind after drinking adulterated alcohol for protection against COVID-19—some of them were children. On a similar note, the Journal of Histopathology documented the case3 of a 41-year-old American who was hospitalized after drinking disinfectant leading to the severe injury of her small bowels.
Other stories include a father who died of COVID-19 after delaying medical help because he believed that COVID-19 was just like the flu, and the couple5 who ingested chloroquine (not intended for human use) leading to the death of the husband and hospitalization of the wife.
The tragic incidents were the result of misinformation and these consequences aren’t rare; A WHO report6 in February stated that we were facing a “massive infodemic.” The hazards of misinformation are vivid—misinformation costs lives.
We all have a role to play, especially medical professionals
The infodemic is too extensive to take on by a single community sector; doctors, media outlets, health authorities, and individuals each have a role to play.
But doctors and nurses hold a distinctive responsibility. Medical professionals have always been considered sources of health information. In fact, according to the Merriam Webster dictionary7: “The word doctor comes from the Latin word for “teacher.” Moreover, the World Federation for Medical Educators (WFME) task force8 includes “communicate, educate and research” as one of the key roles of doctors.
Do people trust doctors?
According to a 2019 GALLUP poll,9 when asked to rate the honesty and ethical standards of different professions, 85% of Americans participating in the survey rated nurses highest and 65% rated doctors with high honesty at third place. So more than half the participants trust doctors more than any other profession including journalists, police officers, and government personnel.
These sentiments are shared worldwide. According to Wellcome Global Monitor’s survey in 2018,10 “73% of people worldwide would trust a doctor or nurse more than any other source of health advice, including family, friends, religious leaders, or famous people.”
Anyone can be a victim of misinformation
Doctors aren’t immune to misinformation. After all, COVID-19 is a new disease with many unknowns. Even doctors who try to stay up to date with the scientific literature can be misled by bad research. Six research papers have been retracted to date.11 The problem is, doctors are in a position of authority and expertise, and their words are taken to heart.
Many doctors12 have played a role in the fight by disseminating factual health information through their social media accounts, but others13 have contributed to the stream of misleading information.
Advice to avoid misinformation
I interviewed Dr. Abraar Karan MD, MPH, at Brigham & Women’s Hospital/Harvard Medical School, asking for his advice on how to navigate information during the COVID-19 pandemic.
See for yourself
“The key is to go back to the primary source and come to your own conclusion”, Dr. Karan says.
He thinks you should see for yourself what the literature says because if you get your information from a secondary source, it can be reframed or lost in translation.
He adds that one of the benefits of looking at research papers that have not yet been peer-reviewed is the additional scrutiny that is required when people are forced to engage with the data and look at the methodology, results, and limitations of the research.
Listen to what the experts say
Not all doctors are adequately trained or have enough time to critically appraise complex scientific literature.14 Just like you follow consensus guidelines or get a specialist’s consultation in a specialty outside your field of practice, turn to the experts for their input.
“The burden of responsibility falls on the experts; the medical community has many people who can critically appraise literature. Constantly read from many sources about the same article,” Dr. Karan says.
Social media has facilitated the exchange of ideas between experts from all over the world making it easy to read different expert opinions
Tip:
I hope this will help....