What are we doing in the dermatology outpatient department amidst the raging of the 2019 novel coronavirus?
Authors: Yusha Chen, Sushmita Pradhan, Siliang Xue
Journal: Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology (2020)

In late December 2019, several individuals with unexplained pneumonia were reported in Wuhan, China. A novel coronavirus was subsequently identified as the causative pathogen and provisionally designated 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV).1Lu R. Zhao X. Li J. et al.Genomic characterisation and epidemiology of 2019 novel coronavirus: implications for virus origins and receptor binding.Lancet. 2020; https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(20)30251-8Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF Scopus (8314) Google Scholar As of February 10, 2020, 42,638 cases of 2019-nCoV infection have been confirmed in China, with 21,675 suspected cases and 1016 deaths. There are still more than 3000 confirmed cases every day, involving people living in or visiting Wuhan, as a subsequent characteristic of human-to-human transmission. 2019-nCoV continues to spread around the world and has been reported in other countries such as the United States.2Holshue M.L. DeBolt C. Lindquist S. et al.First case of 2019 novel coronavirus in the United States.N Engl J Med. 2020; https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa2001191Crossref PubMed Scopus (4317) Google Scholar Hospitals in all provinces and cities across China have taken effective measures to control the spread of 2019-nCoV. On January 24, 2020, the West China Hospital of Sichuan University temporarily shut the doors of its dermatology outpatient department and dermatology surgery by postponing all of the elective operations and limiting to only emergency operations. We did not, however, completely halt the services to some patients who need to visit the dermatology outpatient department during the 2019-nCoV outbreak. At the same time, to meet the medical requirements and reduce the flow of patients to the skin clinic, we began free online and telephone consultation by providing free dermatology consultations. The dermatology outpatient department in West China Hospital was scheduled to run on January 28, 2020, mainly for critical care patients. Patients who had made an advanced appointment for obtaining medical service but chose not to visit received a full refund of registration fees. The number of dermatology outpatient clinics has been drastically reduced from 8 to 4, and only 1 accompanying person is allowed to enter the clinic. People entering the outpatient and inpatient buildings must wear masks and have their body temperature monitored by professionals wearing tight protective clothing. At the entrance of the building, anyone with a fever (body temperature ≥37.3°C), travel history to Wuhan in last 2 weeks, clear contact with residents in Wuhan in last 2 weeks, or contact with people with a fever would be directly sent to the fever clinic for screening. These individuals are considered to have been exposed and are quarantined for 2 weeks, and potential exposures are also asked to quarantine themselves for 2 weeks at home. During the skin clinic, patients are not allowed to take off their masks except on indications of facial lesions. Doctors must wear masks, surgical caps, protective suits, gloves, and goggles at work; they take off their protective equipment only after their work in a designated disposable area. In other respects, educational programs and activities of West China Hospital have come to a halt; graduate students and interns are prohibited from returning to school and work. Also, West China Hospital established special psychologic intervention counseling via a telephone and network platform to help those in need and published a psychologic protection handbook for free download. It is uncertain to predict when the 2019-nCoV will end at the time of this writing. The West China hospital is still playing a powerful role in defending against the epidemic outbreak and is a microcosm of all of the countless Chinese hospitals at this moment. The coronavirus (COVID-19) epidemic and patient safetyJournal of the American Academy of DermatologyVol. 82Issue 4PreviewIn this issue of the JAAD, Chen et al1 discuss patient safety measures in a Chinese dermatology clinic during the coronavirus outbreak (2019-nCoV acute respiratory disease), including patient screening, respiratory precautions, and telemedicine consultations. The steps they enacted serve as a reminder that we should have policies in place for infection control in every dermatology clinic. Full-Text PDF COVID-19 can present with a rash and be mistaken for dengueJournal of the American Academy of DermatologyVol. 82Issue 5PreviewTo the Editor: We found the report "What are we doing in the dermatology outpatient department amidst the raging of 2019-CoV?" to be very interesting.1 Chen et al pointed out the need for a dermatology department to recognize and deal with this infection. Full-Text PDF Teledermatology in the era of COVID-19: Experience of an academic department of dermatologyJournal of the American Academy of DermatologyVol. 83Issue 1PreviewTo the Editor: We read with great interest the articles by Chen et al1 and Price et al2 outlining an approach to telemedicine implementation during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the feasibility of these theoretical solutions has yet to be definitively and widely shown. Here, we report the successful transition of the ambulatory practice in the Department of Dermatology at the Yale School of Medicine from a completely office-based practice to a primarily teledermatolology model over 3 weeks. Full-Text PDF Strategic dermatology clinical operations during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemicJournal of the American Academy of DermatologyVol. 82Issue 6PreviewTo the Editor: We were very pleased to read Chen et al's commentary1 presenting practical methods for reducing the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the dermatologic setting. Health care teams around the world are working diligently to limit the spread of COVID-19 despite unprecedented challenges. In this letter, we provide additional strategies and a potential framework for maintaining successful patient care while limiting risks for faculty, residents, staff, and the community during the COVID-19 outbreak. Full-Text PDF Recommendations on dermatologic surgery during the COVID-19 pandemicJournal of the American Academy of DermatologyVol. 83Issue 1PreviewTo the Editor: We read with interest the article by Chen et al1 reporting the experience of a dermatology department at the center of the COVID-19 pandemic. As doctors, we have a responsibility to support measures that mitigate the spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), but at the same time, to provide essential medical care to our patients. Full-Text PDF