COVID-19 Lockdown Eyecare Action Pack

Currently there is an overload of negative information spreading creating fear and uncertainty. The most important thing is how we get through this together. There are steps one can take along with your staff in this current situation. We have put together an action pack that during this widespread uncertainty can assist with the communication between your practice and patients. Patients will feel at ease if they are aware that your practice strives to deliver the highest clinical and hygiene standards. It is critical that patients feel safe coming into the practice as this influence’s consultation time. This is a good time for the practice to relook at the current hygiene practices in place

What follows below is an article about fear, its effects and how we should approach it during these uncertain times: 

Think creatively about what you can do & where you can shop where you’ll be supporting others and keeping the ecosystem around you alive.

Johannesburg, South Africa (18 March 2020) – You may know James Delaney as the man that saved the Wilds in Johannesburg, but the contemporary artist is also well known for his amazing sculptures he creates from his studio at Victoria Yards, Johannesburg.

Delaney recently shared a post about how we need to think creatively over the next couple of months, and more so, how we need to stop feeding the fear!

“My friends are home crying, they dunno how they pay rent,” said my Kazakh cab driver en route to JFK Airport, “I’m lucky to find you, I’ve been driving around looking for a client”.

I watched New York unravel last week. This week, it’s the same in Johannesburg.

Fear makes people change their behaviour in stronger ways than anything else. It also makes us feel completely justified in how we act as if everything is out of our hands, decreed by a higher power. One day, life is cautiously normal, then the president speaks, and then fear. Suddenly everyone acts differently.

Queuing in packed supermarkets, touching the same goods and credit card terminals touched by so many, and then not touching a friend. Telling people, they are not welcome at their workplace.

Fear is not logical. Fear brings judgement.

Avoiding the local coffee shop. Your phone screen carries more germs than their coffee cup! No longer supporting the local restaurant, which must still somehow pay its rent. Cancelling events months from now.

Fear destroys.

This fear will destroy so many jobs, so many lives, so many good things built up by good people. Waiters, Uber drivers, baristas, bakers, tour guides, artists, domestic workers, flight attendants, baggage handlers, caterers, ice cream makers, hotel concierges, photographers. Charities without funding, their fundraising events evaporated.

Source: Lindeque, B (2020) Fear is not logical. Fear brings judgement. Do not feed fear. Retrieved March 22, 2020 from the Good Things Guy website: coronavirus-do-not-feed-the-fear

We have created the following posts to assist curbing irrational fear, these images can be shared across your social media platforms.

Customizing your patient communication to be authentic and meaningful. This creates confidence, trust and assists in reassuring patients returning to your practice.

For our Ocumail users, including information into your recall system will put your patients minds at ease that you are putting measures in place to minimize the spread of COVID – 19 virus. These authentic messages will go a long way as social distancing becomes more of a reality.

We suggest the following wording for all automatic communication “As a healthcare provider we always strive to deliver the highest clinical and hygiene standards.  In light of the COVID-19 virus we would like to assure you that all necessary eyecare precautions are in place.”