.jpg.webp?itok=zjuXERN2 "hospital emergency room")
Several physicians on the front lines of the battle against COVID-19 have taken to the pages of online and print publications to share their firsthand experiences.
Here are money quotes from five who’ve reached wide swaths of readers just this week:
‘Am I sure I want to use this medication? Of course I’m sure. The frequency of alerts and the number of drugs in undersupply are shocking developments in a rich country.’
—Jeremy Samuel Faust, MD, emergency physician at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, writing in The Atlantic April 28
*
‘COVID-19 has been the worst healthcare disaster of my 30-year career ... And I now believe we should end the lockdown and rapidly get back to work.’
—Daniel G. Murphy, MD, chair of emergency medicine at St. Barnabas Hospital in the Bronx, writing in the New York Post April 27
*
‘I cough into my mask and hope it’s just my allergies. Unlike ER doctors in New York and New Orleans, we have the time to indulge in hypochondria, because things are slow here in central Virginia.’
—Amita Sudhir, MD, director of emergency medicine residency at the University of Virginia, writing in Slate April 28
*
‘Where are the heart attacks and strokes? ... For God’s sake, if you need to come to the ER, come to the ER.’
—Tom Benzoni, DO, emergency room physician at Iowa Methodist Medical Center, speaking with the Des Moines Register April 27
*
‘Back in February, I knew that 100 million-plus people were going to be watching, and I wanted to win. When you’re going in to help it’s more about your duty as a doctor and a citizen.’
—Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, MD, volunteer healthcare worker at a long-term care facility in Quebec Province and offensive linesman for the Kansas City Chiefs, co-writing in Sports Illustrated April 27
Dave P. has worked in journalism, marketing and public relations for more than 30 years, frequently concentrating on hospitals, healthcare technology and Catholic communications. He has also specialized in fundraising communications, ghostwriting for CEOs of local, national and global charities, nonprofits and foundations.