Considerations for Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons in COVID-19 era: Can we sustain the solutions to keep our patients and healthcare personnel safe?

Abstract There are several uncertainties as to how we will conduct these clinical, didactic, business and social activities as this COVID-19 global pandemic abates and social distancing guidelines are relaxed. We anticipate changes in the way we interact with our patients and other providers, the way we design patient workflow, the way we conduct our teaching sessions and, how we perform procedures in different clinical settings. The objective of this paper is to review some of the changes to consider in clinical and academic oral and maxillofacial surgery workflow to make this transition smoother, efficient, and less risky for our patients and health care personnel. New infection control policies should be strictly enforced and monitored in all clinical and non-clinical settings, with an overall goal to decrease the risk of exposure and transmission. Screening for Covid-19 symptoms, testing when indicated, and, establishing epidemiologic linkage, will be crucial to contain and prevent new COVID-19 cases until there is a vaccine or an alternate solution. Additionally, we will have to take into consideration the shortage of essential supplies such as drugs, personal protective equipment (PPE), the design and ventilation of workspaces and waiting areas, increase in overhead costs and possible absence of staff, if quarantine is necessary. This shift in our workflow and patient care paths is likely to continue in the short-term at least through 2021 or next 12-24 months. We have to prioritize surgery balancing patient preferences and healthcare personnel risks. We have an opportunity now to make changes and embrace telemedicine and other collaborative virtual platforms for teaching and clinical care. It is crucial that we maintain Covid-19 awareness, proper surveillance in our microenvironments, good clinical judgment and, ethical values to continue to deliver high quality economical and accessible patient care.