Here are five of the lessons from healthcare professionals and scientists:
1. Prioritize what is scientifically known
“Inaccurate information and indecisive action on the part of the U.S. government led the country to catastrophic failure,” Akiko Iwasaki, PhD, a professor of immunology at New Haven, Conn.-based Yale University, told the Times.
She pointed to limited testing early on and confusing protocols as weak points, and said the government must prioritize what is proven by scientific evidence.
2. Figure out who gets priority treatment
“Come up with your plans on how to allocate vaccines early and deploy them to states so they can put them into action right away,” Saad Omer, PhD, director of the Yale Institute for Global Health, told the Times. “The CDC came out with their recommendations in December, just days before the vaccines were authorized.”
3. Create nationwide standards
“In a country with the characteristics of the United States, that has 50 individual states there are certain commonalities that you need, some collaboration, cooperation and synergy between the federal government and the states,” Anthony Fauci, MD, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told the Times.
Dr. Fauci said some states ignored guidelines and did whatever they wanted.
4. Address gaps in health equity
“In the past, people would say, ‘Yeah, yeah, poverty, poverty, poverty,’ but they didn’t grasp the concept,” Pablo Rodriguez, MD, a member of the government committee that guides COVID-19 vaccine distribution in Rhode Island, told the Times.
COVID-19 amplified gaps in health equity, disproportionately affecting people of color. The health of the country relies on addressing those gaps, Dr. Rodriguez said.
5. Stop alternative treatments and stick to what’s known
“There was so much uncertainty in the early months about how to treat patients, but we’ve come to realize it’s best to stick to the basics of critical care medicine,” Gregory S. Martin, MD, critical care specialist at Emory University in Atlanta, told the Times.
Medical providers should rely on proven methods instead of being distracted by alternative treatments that may or may not end up working, Dr. Martin said.
To read the full list of 14 lessons learned by scientists and leaders in healthcare, click here.
More articles on leadership and management:
Study: Provider burnout, shortages most disruptive force in healthcare
Healthcare awareness calendar: Key months, weeks and days in 2021
More CEOs are turning to automation to increase productivity, survey finds
At Becker's 4th Annual CEO + CFO Roundtable, taking place November 2–5 in Chicago, more than 1,500 hospital and health system executives tackle decisions that determine whether organizations thrive or merely survive: protecting margins under cost pressure, choosing where to grow, renegotiating payer relationships, stabilizing the workforce and proving real ROI on technology. This is where leaders work through them together, face-to-face. Apply for complimentary registration now.