Karen Appold is a freelance medical writer based in Pennsylvania.
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December 2020Be Honest About the Unknown
As a physician, admitting to patients that you just don’t know everything about the progression of long-haul symptoms of COVID-19 is essential. “It may be difficult to say, but it’s important to do when looking to form a care alliance with these patients, many of whom may be desperate,” said Jacqueline Jones, MD, otorhinolaryngologist and clinical associate professor of otolaryngology at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City. “This is a trial-and-error process; having patients document their victories and setbacks will help to guide treatment. But give patients hope that we as physicians will do everything we can to help them recover optimum health.”
Ahmad R. Sedaghat, MD, PhD, director of the division of rhinology, allergy, and anterior skull base surgery at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, said that much remains unknown about how COVID-19 manifests. “I approach each patient encounter without any prior assumptions and follow these patients closely to adjust their management in real time based on a patient’s response and emerging knowledge about the disease,” he said.