Fear psychosis for the medical physicists' profession in the worldwide COVID-19 crisis

Abstract

Background: The coronavirus infectious disease 2019 (COVID-19) has spread over 213 countries around the world and two international conveyances. This has become a cause of public health emergencies as well as a crisis internationally. Realising its deadlier effects the World Health Organisation has already declared this crisis as a pandemic on 11th, March, 2020. Material and Methods: Hospitals authority mostly do not provide complete personal protective equipment (PPE) for medical physicists every day as in general, they do not come in direct contact with patients frequently, shortages of PPE and economic barriers. Results: In this commentary, we have highlighted different aspects of fear psychosis dominantly acting on medical physicists working in the hospital where both confirmed and suspected COVID-19 patients are being treated during this pandemic. Further, a series of novel methods are proposed to reduce the risk of viral exposure for medical physicist community and other health care workers, and patients. Conclusion: In the absence of proper PPE, medical physicists should maintain proper physical distancing along with wearing the available protective devices (gloves and face mask) avoid casual touching of the mouth and nose to reduce the risk of infection.

Keywords

• coronavirus infectious disease 2019 pandemic
• medical physicist
• medical physics
• radiation oncology
• severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2