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| EDITORIAL |
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| Year : 2020 | Volume
: 10
| Issue : 2 | Page : 49-50 |
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“Work from Home” works a lot now for health-care professionals too!
Mahalaxmi Sekar1, Sangeetha Subramanian2, Balasubramanian Saravanakarthikeyan1
1 Department of Conservative Dentistry and Endodontics, SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Bharathi Salai, Ramapuram, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
2 Department of Periodontics, SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Bharathi Salai, Ramapuram, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
| Date of Submission | 02-Jul-2020 |
| Date of Acceptance | 18-Jul-2020 |
| Date of Web Publication | 21-Aug-2020 |
Correspondence Address:
Dr. Balasubramanian Saravanakarthikeyan
Department of Conservative Dentistry and Endodontics, SRM Dental College, SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Bharathi Salai, Ramapuram, Chennai - 600 089, Tamil Nadu
India
 Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None  | Check |
DOI: 10.4103/jid.jid_59_20
How to cite this article:
Sekar M, Subramanian S, Saravanakarthikeyan B. “Work from Home” works a lot now for health-care professionals too!. J Interdiscip Dentistry 2020;10:49-50 |
How to cite this URL:
Sekar M, Subramanian S, Saravanakarthikeyan B. “Work from Home” works a lot now for health-care professionals too!. J Interdiscip Dentistry [serial online] 2020 [cited 2023 Mar 25];10:49-50. Available from: https://www.jidonline.com/text.asp?2020/10/2/49/292919 |
 Clinical Relevance to Interdisciplinary Dentistry | |  |
The COVID-19 pandemic has imposed a considerable impact in various fields, and dentistry is no exception. This editorial outlines the positive aspects of the current pandemic highlighting a switch-over in dental teaching-learning system and clinical practice through 'telecommunication'. Further this article emphasizes on adoption of strict standard operating protocols for health care professionals to combat the COVID-19 disease transmission.
The year “2020” has turned out to be a year of unexpected twists and challenges for the entire mankind due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. When we read earlier about the word “pandemic” in medical books during our graduation days, we never thought that we would witness one in our lifetime. SARS CoV-2, the causative viral agent for the novel disease belongs to the subgenus sarbecovirus, Orthocoronavirinae subfamily, with Chinese horseshoe bats (Rhinolophus sinicus), being the most probable origin.[1] With millions of people becoming infected globally, the disease has forced the whole world to a standstill with an inevitable impact on health and economy. In India, the cases are enormously increasing day-by-day with a recent report of 548,318 causing 16,475 deaths as on June 29, 2020.[2] The predominant challenge at this unprecedented situation is that the population has no innate immune protection against COVID-19 and a preventive vaccine development is still under research worldwide.[3]
Various quarantine policies have been adopted by the respective governing bodies of different countries to contain the rapid virus spread. Furthermore, all the dental schools/institution-based dental colleges and clinics, where patients, students, and teaching professionals share the same spaces have been shut down since it may potentially act as a reservoir hub for high transmission risk.[1],[3]
However, then, every threat is an opportunity in disguise. There is a tremendous switchover in the teaching–learning system where dental education has shifted from conventional classroom teaching to the virtual/online teaching. Most of the dental colleges have adopted digital education platforms which can be regarded as a panacea for the crisis. Gadget-integrated education enables communication between academicians and students through virtual libraries, E-mails, chatting, and video conferencing webinars and telecommuting allowing a better suited way of education. The success of e-learning/virtual learning depends on the attitudes and interactive teaching styles of the faculty, as well as on the students' co-operation and their experience with regard to the technology.[4]
Now, the work arrangement namely, telework/work from home that was exclusively reserved for information technology employees, is now applicable to us too. However, dentistry primarily being a profession in clinical practice, the use of strategies in virtual learning remains as a challenge for educational universities across the globe. The list of problems further includes millions of losses in revenue sources, collapse of research programs and grants; suspension of academic conferences and ceremonies of graduation/convocation.[5] However, it is recommended that the educational institutions should not wait for an emergency to include elements of e-learning in online courses and measure their effectiveness from a pedagogical, organizational, teaching, and learning perspective.[6]
Advanced technologies not only enhance the treatment standards of patients but also ensure their partial or complete management, even kilometers away from health-care centers or dental clinics. The entire process of networking, sharing digital information, distant consultations, and follow-up is dealt with by a branch of medicine concerned with dentistry, known as “Teledentistry.”[7] As dental professionals, we at all times face increased risk of occupational exposure to infectious diseases including, the latest COVID-19. Teledentistry can be of great assistance in the current unprecedented situation that helps all clinicians to assist patients without adding the risk of cross infection.[7],[8] Appropriate pharmaceuticals and detailed home care instructions can be effectively provided by means of teledentistry in situ ations where elective treatment can be postponed.[8]
Further, the prevailing COVID-19 situation influences clinical practitioners like us to adopt highly standardized precautionary aseptic measures. Besides the personal protective equipment including respirators, the use of high efficiency particulate air filters, ultra-violet lamps, and fumigators have now become routine mandatory gadgets to safeguard everyone including dentists in most of the clinics.
In addition, the coronavirus-induced public health crisis created an opportunity for many regulatory bodies to make lasting reforms in the public health sector. All health-care professionals have become warriors of care as they risk their own lives to take care of the afflicted. The current scenario is yet another proof of how tiny we are in front of the Almighty. We are not sure how long this virus last or its purpose. But one thing…the things of the world has no stability and even this event like all other disasters is subject to change for good. Tough situations do not last longer. We all can overcome this pandemic together by staying strong, safe and have a positive outlook during this negative spell and march forward.
“We fall, we break, we fail…. but then, we rise, we heal, we overcome”
| References | | |
| 1. | Meng L, Hua F, Bian Z. Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19): emerging and future challenges for dental and oral medicine. J Dent Res 2020;99:481-7.  |
| 2. | |
| 3. | Prati C, Pelliccioni GA, Sambri V, Chersoni S, Gandolfi MG. COVID-19: its impact on dental schools in Italy, clinical problems in endodontic therapy and general considerations. Int Endod J 2020;53:723-5. |
| 4. | Webster J, Hackley P. Teaching effectiveness in technologymediated distance learning. Acad Manage J 1997;40:1282-309. |
| 5. | Emami E. COVID-19: Perspective of a dean of dentistry. JDR Clin Transl Res 2020;5:211-3. |
| 6. | Iyer P, Aziz K, Ojcius DM. Impact of COVID-19 on dental education in the United States. J Dent Educ 2020;84:718-22. |
| 7. | Mihailovic B, Miladinovic M, Vujicic B. Telemedicine in dentistry (teledentistry). In: Graschew G, Roelofs TA, editors. Advances in Telemedicine: Applications in Various Medical Disciplines and Geographical Areas. Rijeka, Croatia: InTech; 2011. p. 215-30. |
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