Influenza and Covid in recovery, like every winter for two years now, they are filling the offices of general practitioners and making their telephone lines hot. Half of Italy is in bed with high fever and persistent cough: il flu peak has it arrived? Will Christmas see more people in bed than at the table? We talked about it with Sandro Vasina, general practitioner of Ravennawhich is also Fimmg representative and therefore he also commented on the protest of the contracted doctors which took place just a few days ago and in which he participated.
Doctor Vasina, What is the current trend of the flu virus? Has the peak arrived? Are you waiting for Christmas? Or will the more serious situation come as usual from New Year’s Eve onwards?
“In our studios we are experiencing a rather complex situation – explains the doctor -, the flu is often overlapping with Covid. The symptoms are similar and the patients believe they have the flu because the test done on the first or second day is negative. In reality, positivity often emerges only later and in the meantime people have made a social life, met people, with the risk of having spread the disease”.
Il Advice so it could be: if you have flu-like symptomsavoid meeting too many people and, if necessary, protect the respiratory tract with the FFP2 maskeven if the Covid test it was initially negative. Repeat it then in the following days, on the third or fourth day from the appearance of the first symptoms, to confirm the negativity.
“There are then – adds – people who in this period are falling ill with the flu form in circulation, with even challenging symptoms: high fever, which can even reach 39°, even intense cough and cold. Symptoms easily interchangeable with the Covid disease ”.
The disease overlap however, it does not raise a problem from the point of view of the treatment: both are fought with antipyretics and anti-inflammatories. No to antibiotics, unless there are bacterial complications ascertained by the doctor (e.g. persistent coughs configuring bronchitis or pneumonia).
And has the flu peak arrived or should we expect it during the Christmas holidays?
“We general practitioners perceive a sharp rise in cases in this period – need They don’t have -, the curve is growing, it is difficult to make predictions for the future. Of course, it is good practice to keep antipyretics and anti-inflammatories ready for use at home. And remember to drink: when the temperatures are very high, the risk of dehydration is around the corner, especially for children, the elderly and frail people”.
Are doctor’s offices overwhelmed by patients?
“More than a considerable influx in surgeries – continues the doctor -, I would say that in this period there is a considerable increase in phone calls, the switchboards are hot. Since the pandemic, a lot has moved to this method of contact, we know it, and we are not always able to respond promptly to the needs of the clients, there is some bad mood, but you really do everything you can”.
Remaining on the discontent of the patients, in recent weeks there has been a lot of talk about it, thanks to the protest launched by Fimmgunion of general practitioners, “flicker doctors”: family doctors basically complain about the increase in costs due to the increase in bills and an excess of bureaucracy that is exhausting them, reducing their resources precisely “to a flicker”.
Il December 15th many white coats have joined, including Dr. Vasina, turning off the light of their studies for 15 minutes and continuing the activity in the dim light of a candle. A symbolic way to draw attention to how exhausted family doctors are, while their efforts and efforts are not visible to patients, nor above all to political decision-makers who could solve the problems.
“I participated in the protest – Commenta No – which, let’s not forget, has the claim “we keep assistance for our patients on”, because if local medicine disappears, a fundamental service is lost. There are two aspects to consider, that of costs and that of bureaucracy. Both end up discouraging doctors from continuing to practice their profession and new recruits from undertaking it”.
“Right now – he claims – we are strangled by very busy work schedules, burdened with overwhelming administrative paperwork and soaring costs. We are freelancers affiliated with the Ausl, the extra expenses erode our salary and do not allow us to invest in tools and services, such as secretaries, diagnostic equipment and so on. In all of this, patients are increasingly dissatisfied with the service they receive and are complaining”.
Vasina hints at a working table which is about to launch into Region Emilia Romagna focused on “red tapeof medical work. In fact, from the pandemic onwards, many administrative obligations have fallen on local medicine and take time away from working with patients. Time that doctors would like to regain. “I would like young doctors to be doctors and not employees”, need.
We have been talking about this bureaucratic load for some time, but how do we get rid of it?
“There are, for one thing, bureaucratic procedures for prescribing some drugs that waste a lot of time – explains the doctor -: I give the example of high cost drugs for diabetes, or for atrial fibrillation. These are innovative drugs, which surpass the old products and can only be prescribed by completing the treatment plan, accessing regional online platforms, interacting with software and long and laborious administrative procedures. There are procedures that could be eliminated: if the patient needs those drugs, it should be possible to prescribe them without all these red tape. Another case is that of the 2010 law on the issuance of the certificate of illness by the doctor who is treating the patient. It is totally disapplied, so the patient who leaves the hospital or emergency room goes to his doctor to get a sick certificate. They should give it to him on discharge”.