Questions to Ask Your Medical Provider During COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced all of us as patients and medical practices to make changes. But the pandemic does not mean you need to stop seeing your doctors or considering procedures that you feel are important to you like LASIK or medically necessary like cataract surgery. As the patient, you can be your own best advocate. Being fully informed about your health and safety while in a doctor’s office means you need to be proactive and start asking questions to make sure you feel comfortable. Discover the questions you should ask your doctor’s office prior to your next visit.

Facility Safety Precautions

Whether there’s a pandemic or not, the cleanliness of a doctor’s office should always be a priority. However, with a pandemic, it has become even more critical. It’s essential to ask the right questions to clear up any potential concerns you have. Here are some examples:

• How often are rooms thoroughly cleaned/sanitized?
• What do you use to sanitize your equipment between patients?
• Is plexiglass installed in appropriate locations?
• Is hand sanitizer available?
• Do you offer check-in from my car/parking lot, so I don’t have to sit in a waiting room?
• Do you have digital forms so that I don’t need to use a clipboard and pen?

Staff Safety Precautions

While you are in your doctor’s office, you don’t want to feel uncomfortable at any point, especially when you are interacting with medical staff in close proximity. Some of the questions you can ask about staff safety precautions:

• Do you require your staff to wear masks?
• Do you require daily temperature checks/health screens for your staff?
• What happens if a staff member or patient tests positive for COVID-19?

Personal Safety Precautions

Inherently going to a doctor’s office will require you to be near other people. Therefore, it’s important that you understand what steps your doctor’s office is taking to ensure all of the people in that medical office are safe. Some of the questions you can ask about personal safety precautions are:

• Are all patients required to wear a mask while in the office?
• Do you take temperatures and ask health screening questions for each patient?
• What happens if a patient has symptoms common to COVID-19?