Page 27 - Luce 2020

C ovid R eflections

Susan Sawyer

My pandemic year

Listening to a ability to read her body language and way too frequent and burdensome over
BBC podcast respond appropriately. Yet, like many the past few years), was exchanged for
last week about of my adolescent patients, she reported a heavy load of very early or very late-
the catastrophic finding it easier to talk online than if we night Zoom meetings with international
effects of the had been face-to-face. colleagues where the time zone was
pandemic on never in our favour.
front-line health Given the profound impact of the
professionals pandemic on adolescents’ educational The middle of the year brought with
in the UK was engagement, social relationships and it a swag of international webinars
a potent reminder of what we managed emotional wellbeing, regardless of the and virtual conference presentations,
to dodge in Australia. Despite decades reason for the consultation, nearly every as people around the world suddenly
of medical practice, I found it harrowing consultation revolved around schooling, realised they could access you without
just to listen to their stories that ranged peers, family, mental health – or all of the expense of travel. Indeed, in 2020
from the distress of having to ration the above. There was never enough I spoke at more virtual ‘international’
access to ICU beds (with the knowledge time. Disruptions in health care delivery meetings than ever before. While on
that this was a death sentence), their have been globally featured. Before the one hand, it has been a great way of
sense of failure (from having so many 2020, I would never have expected that contributing to the global knowledge gap
patients die), and their personal fears the World Health Organisation would in adolescent health without expanding
(largely about infecting their families). wish to develop a guidance document my carbon footprint, the one-way more
Yet, even without such traumas, my life for telehealth consultations with children transactional nature of such participation
was certainly upended. and adolescents and their families – was not accompanied by any of the
or that we would be asked to lead it. opportunities for two-way engagement
Professionally, my clinical practice for Of course, our international advisory which had made international
the past year has largely been through committee met virtually by Zoom! conferences so rewarding.
telehealth. The Royal Children’s Hospital
has long had a telehealth video-platform Like all of our staff at the Centre for Celebrating Christmas with family was
that was largely restricted to rurally based Adolescent Health, from March 2020 a joy, but I was profoundly exhausted
patients before the pandemic, and even I worked from home. I confess to by the end of the year. Was this simply
then, was not used as much as it could quite enjoying the first lockdown; ageing (I turned 60 in December) or did
have been. The benefit of telehealth in notwithstanding the uncertainty of I need a holiday, having hardly had a
promoting safe access to healthcare was the global situation and worries about break all year? Was I suffering pandemic
quickly apparent and I was pleased with elderly parents, the absence of travel ‘brain fog’ (my euphemism for mild
how swiftly both I and my patients and meant that my husband and I got to depression) or might I even be suffering
their families managed to adapt. enjoy the novelty of some extended burn out? While January saw me back at
time together. The beauty of a home ‘virtual’ work after my usual two-week
Yet there were interesting challenges, renovation a few years back also break over Christmas and New Year,
and not just from limited bandwidth meant we had quiet, comfortable and my energy levels were little changed. A
and in relation to clinical examinations. separate home offices. Our privilege was few weeks later, however, we managed
Uncertain privacy in some homes, particularly apparent in team meetings a ten-day holiday in Tasmania, when
for example, meant that I periodically when confronted by younger staff I could almost chart my energy levels
shifted from the secure video platform Zooming in from tiny bedrooms in share increase with every ocean swim off the
to a phone consultation, with the young houses. east coast. Maybe I just needed a good
person more confidentially talking to holiday after all!
me as they walked around the block. However, the second lockdown was
Early on, I remember apologising to a different. The daily grind of Zoom Professor Susan Sawyer (1980) is
new patient at the end of a telehealth meetings now felt like Groundhog Director of the Royal Children’s
consultation in which she had shared Day and winter had never felt so Hospital Centre for Adolescent Health
some very sensitive information around long – relieved only by the French TV and a consultant to the World Health
family violence, suggesting that it had espionage series The Legend (highly Organisation, UNICEF, UNFPA and the
probably been more challenging than if recommended) and my husband’s great World Bank. She was Senior Student in
we had been in person – I was certainly cooking. The lack of international travel, 1982, and is a long-serving member of
concerned that I was less nuanced in my initially appreciated (as it had become the College Council.

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