Spectrum

While we concentrate on medical pandemic experts and public health officials for prognostications about the Coronavirus pandemic, primary care physicians are often on the frontlines of the battle against COVID-19. They frequently go unnoticed by the pundits and the policymakers. They are the “unsung heroes” of this fight, says Dr. Kenneth H. Johnson, the Executive Dean of the Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine and the chief medical affairs officer at Ohio University. Often, the primary care doctor is the first to determine whether a patient needs tested for the Coronavirus and handles the initial care of a patient. More often, today, these initial decisions about care are made through telemedicine techniques including internet conversations and phone conferences, according to Dr. Johnson. This is a major change from the old method of going into an office to see a doctor. The primary care physician routinely is in charge of a patient’s care before and after any hospitalization. The frontline doctor al