By Teah Mogae
My next patient that wintery Tuesday afternoon was a middle-aged man called Peter. From quickly scanning his medical record I could see I had never consulted with him. I familiarised myself with his issues that had been dealt with by his regular GP who was on leave, and walked the long corridor to collect him from the waiting room. As he raised his head in response to his name, his facial expression seemed to reflect some disappointment. Shaking off that realisation, I plastered on a smile, greeted him and commenced the polite corridor chatter as we walked to my consult room.
Upon closing the consult room door, I advised him that for everyone’s sake, and despite my blaring air purifier in the room, I preferred that he wear a face mask particularly as winter had resulted in resurgence of the usual viral trio of COVID-19, influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in the community.
“I told the receptionists that I do not wear those things and I can promise you that I do not have any infection at the moment anyway,” he retorted, looking ready to challenge me on my request.
“To try and ensure that I do not spread illness to my immunosuppressed patients, I would prefer face-to-face consultations be performed with appropriate facial coverings,” I responded, ensuring that he understood that the consultation would not start unless his face was covered.
Sensing the stalemate, he begrudgingly placed his mask on before telling me about his “non-viral illness”, describing symptoms such as sore throat, blocked nose, some mild cough and muscle aches and pains which had only started the day before. “Due to how mild they were, they were surely not COVID-19,” he stressed. “Besides, I tend to just stay home due to the weather recently, although I have had a few of my children and my grandkids visiting me. Come to think of it, they might have shared their cold with me because this coronavirus thing is a hoax/conspiracy theory!”
Happy to have stood my ground on his need to cover his face, I examined him and organised a viral swab test with the lab next door. Within 24 hours he was informed of his positive COVID-19 and influenza infections. He had a gradual worsening of symptoms, eventually resulting in his admission to hospital for breathlessness and chest pain 10 days after the onset of his symptoms. He was discharged after a week and took a few more weeks before he started feeling like himself again.
A few months later, whilst I was calling another patient for their consult, he called out from the waiting room. He was waiting to see his regular doctor following another chest infection. “I thought I would apologise for the way I behaved on the day that you saw me Dr Teah. Not only was my behaviour appalling, but it was also selfish and put you and the other patients and staff in the waiting room at risk all because I did not believe these infections were real. Having struggled to get my health back in the last few months, I am grateful for the care you provided to me despite my behaviour.” Although it had taken me a while to recognise him and recall his appointment, I was glad he acknowledged the importance of being considerate to everyone around us. I wished him well and went on to see my next patient who gladly wore a face mask in my office.
