You walk in to work, you scrub in, gown, mask, shield, gloves, more gloves. You have to be let in to rooms so you aren’t contaminating your gloves. You have to be let out of rooms so you aren’t contaminating your gloves. You work in a negative pressure environment all day, every day. You wearContinue reading “What if this is what you did all day every day?”
Category Archives: Uncategorized
Call in a Consult
If you know me or if you’ve ever worked with me, you will know that I am a huge fan of multi-disciplinary care. I am always trying to look for underlying issues that can be addressed by my colleagues and teammates that can improve outcomes for my patient beyond what I can provide them. COVID-19Continue reading “Call in a Consult”
Layers of Grief
Time for something a little bit different. We’ve been Staying Home, Staying Safe for a while now, some longer than others. People outside of the medical world have been starting to wonder what kind of effects this may have on those who have pre-existing mental health issues. People inside the medical world have been seeingContinue reading “Layers of Grief”
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Renal Failure???
Yes, that’s right. Renal Failure. You may be asking yourself, “Why are we talking about renal failure?” You may also be asking yourself, “Has Doctor B lost her marbles? COVID-19 is a pulmonary disease!” You may also be thinking, “I just learned all this stuff about the lungs and now I have to learn aboutContinue reading “Renal Failure???”
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PICS
No, this is not a bunch of pictures. Between my surgical cap, dirty scrubs, and homemade mask with a HEPA filter, you don’t want to spend too much time looking at me! PICS is the acronym for Post Intensive Care Syndrome. This is the clinical syndrome that patients experience when they have spent a longContinue reading “PICS”
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Need a Pick-Me-Up?
How about a freebie? Many companies are starting to offer freebies to healthcare workers of all kinds right now. They know we are struggling and they know we support them in crisis or not. A freebie coffee, dozen donuts, meditation moment, or pair of shoes are just some of the options for all of us!Continue reading “Need a Pick-Me-Up?”
H.O.M.E.B.O.U.N.D.
Home health care PTs are incredibly familiar with the term “homebound.” It determines whether or not we can provide home-based services to a Medicare patient. Directly from CMS… “Home health services are or were required because the individual is or was confined to the home per the criteria below (as defined in sections 1835(a) andContinue reading “H.O.M.E.B.O.U.N.D.”
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A Homemade Mask That Might Actually Work?
Ok, so homemade masks are THE THING right now. You will see that even I am wearing one in my “About” picture. My wonderful PTA Melissa made this one. It has a pocket on the inside in which we have placed HEPA filters cut from the vacuum bags this doctor recommends. Some research will showContinue reading “A Homemade Mask That Might Actually Work?”
The Dangers of Providing Necessary Care
We know the doctors, nurses, respiratory therapists, anesthetists, and all those other incredible people caring for patients in the ICU and ED are risking their lives every moment. But there is another side of this pandemic: the side that stays home. Patients that stay home or are sent home still require care. Many may haveContinue reading “The Dangers of Providing Necessary Care”
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We’ve never had a better reason…
…to brush up on our respiratory intervention skills. These are my bread and butter. In the six years that I practiced in home healthcare, I learned to love these skills I never thought I’d need. And the more I grew to love them, the more I loved using them. But that means seeing the patientsContinue reading “We’ve never had a better reason…”
Doctor B (the PT) 