Welcome back! This is a special addition to my 5-Shot Friday series.
As a healthcare provider, I’ve largely bypassed the brouhaha surrounding today’s mask issue. Mask use has been a part of my professional life since medical school, and while it took some getting used to – it’s hard not to scratch your nose after you’ve scrubbed-in to an operating room – wearing a mask for hours at a time quickly became a non-issue. Even having asthma, it was never an issue.
That’s not how it is for many these days, and that’s a shame. There are misunderstandings about the science behind mask use during the COVID pandemic, as well as arguments that have more to do with politics and symbology than safety. Every single healthcare worker you’ve ever seen or ever will see has worn masks extensively during their training and practice, for reasons that have everything to do with protecting patients like you, and nothing to do with social standing, political leanings, or personal principles.
Think about that for a moment.
We physicians take the 2500-year-old Hippocratic Oath and at every turn, the profession trains us to put the health and well-being of the patient above any profit to the provider. When we recommend doing something like wearing masks, it’s so you yourself personally won’t get sick and die. It’s not the most elegant use of language, but it cuts through a lot and that has always counted for something.
99% of healthcare provider mask use is about protecting the lives of our fellow human beings – preventing my germs from infecting your body – and occasionally about protecting me from your secretions splattering into my face. Measures like sterilizing instruments between operations, washing hands, and – who knew? – mask use became a thing because a half a dozen world conflicts and one respiratory virus pandemic ago, a startlingly large number of people died because doctors were passing infections to and killing their patients. And we generally try not to do that.
It’s an excellent example to follow. Try to not kill innocents around you, especially when it takes something simple like strapping on a piece of cloth.
There are those who will question the science, who may be confused by all the swirling opinions out there on “aerosols” and “droplets.” If you’re among them, please watch the following video, it addresses the questions in a clearer way than I can, it’s doctor-approved, and it’s sharable if you’re into social media:
If you prefer to consider things through a business lens, consider this: in the many countries that have driven their COVID cases down and returned to a semblance of normalcy (e.g. South Korea), mask use is a key feature of their success strategy, in addition to physical distancing, widespread testing, contact tracing and isolating identified cases. Translation: it’s part of THE winning, already-proven-at-scale strategy. You could fight it and walk backwards as you try to reinvent the proverbial wheel, but why? Is that an expense you can really afford?
And finally, if you consider mask use a matter of debatable principle, well, I’m not sure that’s something that physicians can really address. We’re not immune to matters of principle: the word medical goes together with the word ethics like peanut butter and jelly. But history is full of examples of the loftiest of principles leading to all kinds of suffering and destruction. Remember that “It’s the principle of the thing!” usually translates into “It would make way more sense to do X, but I’m going to choose it-makes-no-sense-Y because there’s this IDEA that’s more important.” Ideas have value but so does not getting sick and dying, and so does not getting your fellow human beings sick and dead.
That’s the ancient principle that doctors focus on, and we recommend that you do, too.
Dr. Bunten is originally from Huntington Beach, CA. He attended high school in Tokyo, Japan, went to college at UC San Diego and then to medical school in the Midwest. He returned home to California for residency training in Family Medicine at Long Beach Memorial Medical Center. His immediate family all reside in Huntington Beach.
Dr Fishbein has been in the practice of family medicine for over 35 years in Irvine. He received his undergraduate degree from Southern Illinois University, medical degree from Chicago Medical School, and completed his family medicine residency at Memorial Hospital of Long Beach.
Dr. Kim is the Medical Director of Family Care Centers, Chair of the Department of Family Medicine at Hoag Hospital, and a recipient of the Physicians of Excellence award from the Orange County Medical Association. He is Board Certified in Family Medicine, and has been practicing in our community for over 20 years.
Dr. Memon is a board certified Family Medicine physician and recently completed her fellowship in Geriatrics at the University of California, Irvine Medical Center. She attended Saint George’s University, School of Medicine and completed her residency at Arrowhead Regional Medical Center. Her interest in medicine started at an early age and has since evolved into a passionate career.
Dr. Gina Nguyen obtained her Bachelor of Science degree in Biology at UC Irvine where she graduated Suma Cum Laude. She went to USC Keck School of Medicine, and returned to UC Irvine for a Family Medicine Residency. Since 2005, she worked at Kaiser Permanente, VNCOC, and Family Care Center Urgent Care.
Dr. Williams is Board Certified in Family Medicine and Sports Medicine. He is a native to Orange County and returned home after completing his medical degree at the University of New Mexico, Albuquerque. After completing his residency in family practice he successfully completed a fellowship in sports medicine.
Dr. Hye Lee is a board-certified Family Practice Physician, affiliated with the American Osteopathic Association and the American College of Osteopathic Family Practice.She obtained her Bachelor of Science degree in Biology at UC Riverside and earned her medical degree from Des Moines University Osteopathic Medical Center. Afterward, she did her internship at Downey Regional Medical Center in California and has been a primary care physician since 2005.
Dr. Coyne is a board certified family practice physician and a California native. He completed his undergraduate degree at UCLA before earning his medical degree at George Washington University in Washington, D.C. Dr Coyne spent 6 years in the US Air Force at Andrews and Luke Air Force bases, eventually separating as a Major. He enjoys working with patients of all ages.”
Dr. Jay Friehling is a Family Practice physician who has worked in Orange County since 1981. Born in Florida, he received his undergraduate degree from Cornell University and then earned a Medical Degree at the New York Medical College.” His healthcare interests include Diabetes, Geriatric Care, and Hospice Care.
Dr. Jennifer Shoquist is board certified in Family Medicine. Her special interest is woman’s health and her practice accepts patients from 6 years old to seniors. Dr. Shoquist received her M.D. degree at The University of Texas Medical School at Houston in Houston, Texas, and did her residency with Memorial Family Practice at memorial Southwest Hospital in Houston, Texas.
Dr. Tom is a board certified family medicine physician and native Californian. He received his bachelors of science with great distinction in biochemistry and honors in chemistry. Dr. Tom was awarded a Regents Scholarship to attend medical school at UC Irvine.
Dr. Yan attended Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine and completed her Family Practice residency at Kern Medical Center in Bakersfield, California. She joined Family Care Center in 2001. She chose Family Practice because she enjoys working with a wide variety of people and because it provides a unique opportunity for continuing care.
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