prepare for future emergency situations, regardless of origin, as well as offer guidance for a safe and efficient office reopening.
A group of predominantly core aesthetic physicians convened over many webinar sessions to discuss various aspects related to office procedures that should be considered proactively and to guide clinicians in reopening their offices. These proactive procedures have applicability to a variety of emergency scenarios (eg, pandemic, fire, earthquake, electric grid failure, water shortages, rain, hurricane, tornado, flooding, etc.). Unfortunately, there are no standards for equipment, procedures, and practices for aesthetic offices to follow in anticipation of or following emergency situation(s).
This advisory guide is meant to provide aesthetic physicians and their staff with a practical approach for practice management, staffing, supplies and inventory, and patient management. This guide does not set a standard of practice, but rather recommends office-related goals that may avoid the loss of information (eg, contact details, passwords), improve patient communications (eg, through prepared media-related information), and enhance the transition from office closure to reopening for both the staff and the patients. We are hopeful that this provides at least a template of items for consideration and implementation across the various practice situations and emergencies and mitigates the reoccurrence of difficult lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic.
