By Xander Thomas
With a global pandemic threatening the health, mental state, finances and general way of life for just about everyone, it might be safe to say that many will be hesitant to jump back into life once things begin to subside. The way people live and businesses operate will likely be changed forever, especially when it comes to medical services. Some healthcare business owners, such as Webster’s Dr. Farid Noie, are already preparing for this.
“Post pandemic, patients expect closer attention to infection control measures, which are easy to overlook in a hectic practice environment,” Dr. Noie said.
While he has chosen to continue seeing current patients through video visits for medical necessity in the meantime, the office is closed, and he is taking this time to completely remodel and upgrade to the best sanitary equipment and procedures possible.
“Other than improving our safety protocols, we are also completely remodeling and upgrading our operatories to the most germ resistant surfaces with ease of disinfection,” he said.
Seeing patients through this, although it wouldn’t seem easy for him, as people had to remain in their car until they could go straight to the dentist chair, he says wasn’t completely unmanageable.
“We have one section of the office closed off, and everything else is being worked on,” he explained, although the office is now closed.
Patient comfort, peace of mind and especially the safety of them, as well as staff are all things he has in mind for the upgrades. Dr. Noie believes that medical professionals should be held to a higher standard, as it helps them keep up to date information, follow proper protocol, and ensure that clients receive quality care. Disinfects are certainly not the only goal.
“We’ve also purchased and are upgrading our dental chairs and delivery system to a closed circuit distilled water technology with the latest filtration system to keep our patients and staff safe from any communicable diseases,” he said.
The entirety of the revamp is for everyone’s well being, so equipment was only one thing that he sees as outdated after a global crisis.
“In addition, we plan to double our periodic safety training to deal with our new post pandemic reality.“
In the past, Dr. Noie has been accused of being a germaphobe, but now people are seeing the benefits of his meticulous caution.
“There will be a lot of fear of close proximity with anybody else. In a dental office that fear is even more,” said Dr. Noie.
Dr. Farid Noie
He has hopes that with time, will come comfort and that people will regain a normal sense of life, but with more caution. He does warn that fear can have detrimental effects.
“Avoiding any kind of a treatment out of the fear of viral infection can actually make things worse,” he said. “Lack of routine maintenance and prevention can lead to some serious conditions.”
He wants his patients to have enough confidence to seek help when needed, and is fully prepared to be there when they are ready. He says he sees a future world of medicine in which professionals utilize single-use disposable protective equipment and pay close attention to new OSHA and CDC recommendations.
“The serious nature of this virus has heightened my need to protect my patients,” he said.
Dr. Farid Noie is known as a patient oriented, compassionate professional and plans to reopen his practice, located at 20814 Gulf Freeway in Webster, on June 1, assuming it is safe and legal to do so. Visit www.drnoie.com for more information.
