Lockdown Anxiety and Technology

• Telemedicine can refer to the setup that allows workers in a large hospital to assist in emergency procedures from a distant support structure.
• Telehealth uses virtual interactions between individual doctors and patients. You may have a bad sore throat and download the telehealth app, where you will be connected to a physician who can examine you and prescribe medicine.

Fifty to seventy percent of visits to the doctor's office could be replaced by remote monitoring and checkups.

Telemedicine has been a hard sell in some areas.

• Many rural clinics and community hospitals fear that their already inadequate medical staffing and the revenues generated from on-site procedures will be further diminished by remote medicine.
• Old and poor patients who may need care the most can't afford smartphones or broadband connectivity.
• Until recently, many people were unaware that the service existed, while others didn't trust an anonymous doctor.
• Many people want to be in the physical presence of their physicians, believing the quality of virtual care is inferior.

Many consultants have headaches and nausea when they deal with stress and emotion. There are also times when there is nothing they can do, for example, provide beds, masks, and other needed supplies.

A psychological consultant advises that you should be aware of yourself, and distinguish which emotions are yours, which are the patients, and which are your empathy.

Consider unexpected risks associated with the response to the outbreak, for example, poor mental health that is related to social isolation. Steps to take into account:

• Staying connected with your social and family networks via technology
• Keeping your daily routines as much as possible
• Exercising regularly and practicing habits that you enjoy and find relaxing
• Seeking practical, credible information at specific times of the day.

Venting our fears and concerns with others can reduce their intensity. Others may provide support and care and soother our negative feelings. We can do the same in turn for them.

We learn we are not alone and may learn how others cope with their frustration and fear, which can help us adopt those methods.

Venting should not become a habit as it won't fix the problem. When to stop negative emotions:

• When venting becomes the main coping style cause delays in adaptive action.
• When sharing with others stresses them.
• When you don't feel better, and one or both of you feel worse.
• Young children are not there to listen to our problems, and their job is not to soothe us.
• Talk to your doctor if you experience signs of clinical depression (depressed mood, low energy, poor or increased appetite, insomnia, and poor concentration).