Nearly 3 in 4 Physicians Say They Can’t Provide Easy & Rapid COVID-19 Testing
Development of new lab tests to detect the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19 coronavirus has been faster and more prolific than anybody could dare expect for a pathogen that was unknown just a few months ago. But it still may not be enough to satisfy the urgent demand for COVID-19 testing—at least not yet. That’s the depressing conclusion of a new survey from Harvard Medical School, the Rand Corporation and Doximity, a professional medical network of which 70% of US physicians are members Quick and Easy Testing Remains Elusive Conducted between March 21-24, the survey “Physicians Views on the Coronavirus Pandemic Response,” included 2,600 physicians. Half of the respondents said they’ve treated at least one patient with potential COVID-19 symptoms. When asked whether they were “currently able to test their patients for COVID-19 quickly and easily,” 73.3% of those physicians who reported treating at least one potential COVID-19 case answered “no.” Some of the other noteworthy survey findings: Close to 50% of the physicians surveyed said they believed patients are avoiding testing due to financial and health insurance concerns; Over 77% reported that they don’t believe their hospital/clinic has adequate medical supplies and equipment if the pandemic worsens; Close to […]
- Close to 50% of the physicians surveyed said they believed patients are avoiding testing due to financial and health insurance concerns;
- Over 77% reported that they don’t believe their hospital/clinic has adequate medical supplies and equipment if the pandemic worsens;
- Close to 70% believe that the government hasn’t taken appropriate measures to support the medical supply chain and ensure that their hospital/clinic has the medical supplies it needs to address the pandemic;
- Close to 60% did not believe that there were enough precautions in place in their clinic to protect them from infection while treating COVID-19 patients;
- 70% did not believe the government is responding adequately to the pandemic;
- Nearly 60% believed social distancing, closing schools and travel restrictions were an appropriate reaction to the potential risks of COVID-19;
- Nearly 60% believe the stay-at-home or shelter-in-place orders would do the most to “flatten the curve,” while nearly 25% believed free COVID-19 drive through and mail in testing would do the most; and
- Over 50% reported increasing their use of telemedicine in response to the pandemic.
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