Teaching to COVID

protests that highlighted the two pandemics in America — COVID-19 and systemic racism. Following these events, The COVID Ethics Series convened its 10th session titled “Stop Killing Our Patients: Pandemic, Protests, and the Outcry for Justice.” Building on themes of vulnerability and discrimination from previous discussions, this talk opens a conversation on race-based medicine, law, policing and actionable items. Knowledgeable panelists encourage us to consider what led to these injustices and what people can do about it while sharing their own experiences and potential remedies.

The sessions focus on politics, resource allocation, community ethics and the importance of planning (or the need to plan). Whether it is covering the COVID-19 challenge trials, systemic racism or public policy, the series is not afraid to dive deep into the important topics to elucidate the ethical dilemmas of today. Over the course of the pandemic, The COVID Ethics Series panelists have pushed listeners to identify areas of improvement, use emotional intelligence, recognize privilege, rethink collaborations, create partnerships with different communities, understand their potential to effectuate change and, most importantly, get involved.

An important initiative such as this one does not come together on its own; it takes collaboration and support from like-minded individuals to foster inclusive conversations. With support from colleagues at the Interprofessional Health Sciences Campus including Allison Piazza of IHS Library Services and Kelly Freeman, director of student life, the series has gone on to engage listeners in thoughtful dialogue and prompt further scholarship among participants. With each episode averaging 100 to 200 viewers, growing interest has propelled the series onto a new platform/market — the podcast arena, having its inaugural podcast-exclusive episode “COVID-19 Challenge Trials.” Out of this initiative, Pilkington and colleagues have also released scholarship related to COVID-19 such as “Five Paths to Ethical Outdoor Physical Exercise” on the Seton Hall University website and “The Bioethics of Translation: Latinos and the Healthcare Challenges of COVID-19” through American Catholic Studies.

To view previous COVID Ethics Series episodes and access information and resources, check out the IHS Library page: library.shu.edu/ COVIDEthics. To join future discussions, follow SHU ethics on Twitter @SHUBioEthics and access the podcast series on Spotify and iTunes. ■

In her recent lecture in Dr. Greenfield’s psychiatry course for first-year PA students, Osna Haller, PhD, a practicing psychologist and psychoanalyst, shared a patient’s timely observation: “Not speaking about the COVID pandemic in therapy is like not recognizing a large pungent elephant in a small room with you.” Haller consequently focused on the effects of the COVID-19 virus pandemic and on the role of healthcare and mental health professionals in caring for their patients and themselves.

Haller addressed three relevant psychological aspects of the coronavirus pandemic — mental health, resilience and psychotherapy/counseling. power of resilience (“…a process, not a trait… the ability to adapt, to keep functioning, to reach out to others for support…”) in times of stress and turmoil (“…We’re all in this together, and we’ll get through it together.”). In this vein, Haller discussed the “Devereux Adult Resilience Survey,” a psychological instrument for measuring “resilience,” which identifies four categories of resilience — relationships, internal beliefs, initiative and self-control.

Continuing with psychotherapy/ counseling and returning to the role that frontline healthcare professionals play in the current pandemic through direct patient care or through referral, Haller focused on counseling/psychotherapy, recognizing

The bottom line? Be aware of how much your patients need you and the impact you have on them psychologically. And support them!

Concerning COVID and Mental Health, Haller emphasized the greatly increased prevalence of psychiatric disorders and symptomatology (“day-to-day sadness, irritability, difficulty concentrating, taking longer to accomplish a task, difficulty juggling tasks and responsibilities, procrastinating, regression…”) as a result of the coronavirus pandemic’s causing isolation, fear and actual economic loss for a very large proportion of the world’s population, exacerbation of pre-existing emotional characteristics and problems, and overall worsening stress, among other such points. Parents and teachers report developmental problems among children, adolescents and young adult students who must necessarily focus on their screens virtually and not on their friends and teachers in their classrooms and lecture halls. The role of PAs, NPs and other primary care frontline healthcare professionals for these troubled individuals cannot be underestimated.

On the other hand, Haller noted the and discussing behavioral approaches and psychodynamic psychotherapy (“Psychodynamic psychotherapy aims to help patients identify important pieces of the puzzle that make them who they are and to rearrange them in a way that allows them to form a more functional, spontaneous, and positive sense of self…”).

Haller concluded with a practical experience-based questionnaire to draw out reticent patients and to convey practical advice for patients’ improved outlook and clinical improvement. This survey focused on such topics as sleep, physical well-being, dealing with change, work, contact with nature, dealing with strong emotions, selfesteem and self-care, and exercise.

The bottom line? Be aware of how much your patients need you and the impact you have on them psychologically. And support them! ■ — OSNA HALLER, PhD, and DANIEL P. GREENFIELD, MD, MPH, MS, FASAM Adjunct Faculty, Department of Physician Assistant