Fact-Checked Source:
Op-Ed: I'm an ER doctor ready and able to save your life. Want to keep me safe from coronavirus? Stay home

Looking Deeper: Five Facts Checked 

On March 14, the American College of Emergency Physicians announced that two emergency room doctors were in critical condition with COVID-19. One of the physicians, based in Washington state, is only in his 40s. The other doctor, in his 70s, was in charge of emergency preparedness for his hospital in New Jersey.

I looked into this claim because I wanted to see the American College of Emergency Physicians website and I was interested to see if they had any updates on these doctors. This fact is true according to the American College of Emergency Physicians website.
 

On Thursday, it was reported that two emergency medicine doctors at a hospital in Oak Park, Ill., had tested positive for the coronavirus and were quarantined at home.

...I also read about bars in Boston crowded with patrons and police in New Orleans having to clear people out of Bourbon Street.

Even if we only suffer mild symptoms, we will be forced to isolate ourselves so that we do not pass the virus to our patients. 

No, you cannot go out even if you are feeling perfectly healthy; you can transmit the disease before you begin to show signs of infection.

Analytic Essay

On the Front Lines: ER Doctor Perspectives on COVID-19 

While many people feel like their lives are on pause while in quarantine, ER doctors’ lives have not slowed in the least. They continue to work, risking exposure to the coronavirus in the process. By investigating the perspective of ER doctors during the coronavirus pandemic using differing sources, I will better understand their role as frontline workers and their intentions of promoting health safety during the coronavirus pandemic.

Many describe ER doctors as heroes. For example, on her instagram post, Dr. Poonam Desai described herself as being “on the frontlines,” (Desai, 2020) implying that her work puts her in close contact with the virus. For this reason, many people view her and other ER doctors as brave authority figures. The viewpoint of ER doctors from the sources I’ve examined is one that emphasizes precaution. For example, in an interview, ER resident, Dr. Luke Erdahl, emphasized the importance of wearing masks. He said, “I think the masks can be very effective… just to prevent touching your mouth or small droplets flying into your mouth that you wouldn’t notice” (Erdahl, 2020). This issue matters because it directly affects their job and their health. 

For many ER doctors, this encouragement for precaution is motivated by fear, not just for their patients’ lives, but also for their own. In Dr. Gregory Jasani’s op-ed, he stated, “Now I’m asking you to stay home for your health care workers, too… Every time we interact with an infected patient, our own risk of contracting the virus increases” (Jasani, 2020).  It’s very clear that ER doctors take great risk by performing their jobs and in doing so, they stand to lose their own health. In fact, Dr. Desai contracted the virus after working in an ER in New York City (Desai, 2020).

ER doctors value both their own health and the health of their patients. In Dr. Jasani’s op-ed, he stated, “...we all know that our job comes with inherent risks. We accept those risks, and we carry on providing necessary, life-saving care in the face of this public health emergency” (Jasani, 2020). Jasani understood that his own life and the lives of others are at risk and called his audience, the general public, to action by appealing to their fear for ER doctors’ health. In general, ER doctors aim to deliver care to their patients and given the interruptive nature of their work, they do so by utilizing strategies such as task-switching, multi-tasking, acknowledgement, and deferral/deflection (Walter, 2017). With today’s current issue, Jasani and many other ER doctors’ goal is to urge his audience to stay home and practice health precautions.

In the sources that I examined, ER doctors rely on facts that are scientifically rooted. For example, when asked about the usefulness of a face mask, Dr. Erdahl explained that the effectiveness of the mask depends on the porous quality of the material (Erdahl, 2020). After studying in the sciences for so many years, this sort of fact reliance makes sense. However, ER doctors don’t have all of the answers. More studies need to be conducted to better understand and improve the strategies of ER doctors (Walter, 2017). Also, Jasani mentioned that more accurate data of ER doctors who have been infected with the virus is needed (Jasani, 2020). This is the kind of information that ER doctors rely on from others.

ER doctors trust their administrators and the CDC. For example, in one of her posts, Dr. Desai gave a list of advice from the CDC (Desai, 2020). Dr. Erdahl also mentioned all of the safety procedures that have been initiated since the outbreak (Erdahl, 2020). Changes were able to happen because ER doctors trust the views of their authorities. As we learned from readings such as Feminist Standpoint Theory and Science Communication, everyone’s perspective is unique and by embracing this, we can better understand scientific collaboration and communication. By embracing their perspectives, Dr. Erdahl was able to be in collaboration with his authorities and coworkers, which allowed them all to work together.

It’s very important to include the perspective of ER doctors because they are experts in their field who have first-hand experience with coronavirus patients. Their efforts to promote health safety and help the sick will eventually allow our lives to resume. For these reasons, I feel that their perspective is one that should be valued and shared with others.

 

References 

This is a social media source authored by an ER doctor in her own words, on her own posts. The main argument varies from post to post. Mostly, it consists of telling the public to practice social distancing. Also, it emphasizes that ER doctors are on the front lines. Dr. Desai uses photos to show masks and gloves to emphasize the necessity for safety precautions. It is directly from the ER doctor’s point of view and it is a more relaxed setting in which she feels more comfortable to share. It also follows her journey from working with coronavirus patients to becoming a coronavirus patient.