Avoid overcommunicating
Clear, concise, and timely communication is key. This can be challenging given the rapidly evolving science of COVID-19 and the daily barrage of information from both reliable and unreliable sources. Setting up regular online meetings with your faculty 2 or 3 times per week can keep people informed, promote engagement, and boost morale.
If an urgent e-mail announcement is needed, keep the message focused. Highlight only updated information and changes to existing policies and guidelines. And consider adding a brief anecdote to illustrate the staff’s creativity and resilience: a “best catch” story, for example, or a staff member who started a “commit to sit” program (spending time in the room with patients who want company but are not able to have their family in attendance).
Look to the future
COVID-19 will pass. Herd immunity will inevitably develop. The question is how quickly and at what cost. Children delivered today are being born into a society already profoundly altered by COVID-19. Some have started to call them Generation C.
Exactly what life will look like at the back end of this pandemic depends on how effectively we leverage this crisis. There are numerous opportunities to change the way we think about health care and educate the next generation of providers. These include increasing the use of telehealth and remote education, redesigning our traditional prenatal care paradigms, and reinforcing the importance of preventive medicine. This is an opportunity to put the “health” back into “health care.”
Look after yourself
Amid all the chaos and uncertainty, do not forget to take care of yourself and your family. Be calm, be kind, and be flexible. Stay safe.