Restructuring an academic dermatology practice during the COVID-19 pandemic

Tabrez Sheriff; Oliver G C Murrell; Dédée F Murrell

doi:10.1111/dth.13684

Restructuring an academic dermatology practice during the COVID-19 pandemic

Dermatol Ther. 2020 Jul;33(4):e13684. doi: 10.1111/dth.13684. Epub 2020 Jul 7.

Authors

Tabrez Sheriff^{1

2}, Oliver G C Murrell¹, Dédée F Murrell^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Dermatology, St George Hospital, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
² University of New South Wales (UNSW), Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.

Abstract

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 is a highly virulent positive-sense single stranded RNA virus that spreads rapidly via respiratory droplets, causing severe acute respiratory syndromes with significant mortality and morbidity. Currently 210 countries and territories are affected around the world with a reported 2.6 million confirmed cases. The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic has changed the way patients attend their specialist appointments and receive medical care. While some specialist clinics have closed we have implemented strategies and restructured our academic practice in Australia to minimize the spread of disease while treating patients who need urgent care. We hope to share these strategies in the hope they may be useful to the dermatology community.

Keywords: COVID-19 and dermatology; SARS-COV-2.

MeSH terms

Academic Medical Centers
Australia
Betacoronavirus
COVID-19
Coronavirus Infections
Dermatology / organization & administration*
Health Services Accessibility*
Humans
Infection Control / organization & administration*
Pandemics
Pneumonia, Viral
SARS-CoV-2