Readers responded to 2020’s Q&A survey with an impressive list of questions

In planning for 2020, the Optometric Management team decided to separate our “Q&A” survey into three parts, which would be sent to readers over the course of several months. We received a record 502 responses, where readers asked questions that covered a broad range of practice management and patient care topics. (See p.16 for survey details.) We thank you for this, our largest survey response to date. We also thank our contributors who deliver thoughtful, practical answers to the questions in this issue.

ADDRESSING THE CRISIS

As expected, a number of questions dealt with the pandemic. Rather than wait for the “Q&A” issue to cover these, we addressed COVID-19 questions throughout the year, beginning with the March issue. OM’s COVID-19 updates section (bit.ly/OMcoronavirus ) includes news updates and a listing of all COVID-19-related content that appears in OM, both in print and online. A sampling of the most popular coverage:

• November OM (bit.ly/OMNovember2020 ) features telehealth, patient self-monitoring and best practices for primary care optometry.
• October OM (bit.ly/OMOctober2020 ), includes Dr. Gary Gerber offering six COVID-19 lessons, and Dr. Katie Gilbert-Spear explaining employee leave related to the pandemic.
• September OM (bit.ly/OMSeptember2020 ) highlights 14 leading optometrists who explain how they will tackle 2021 business planning.
• June OM (bit.ly/OMJune2020 ) topics include contact lens fitting during COVID-19 (by Dr. Jason Miller) and myopia telehealth visits.
• In the “Florida Room Chat” video series (bit.ly/OMFloridaRoom ), Chief Optometric Editor Dr. April Jasper provides practical tips on how to sustain a practice and succeed during the pandemic.

A SEASON FOR POSITIVE THINKING

There’s little doubt that COVID-19 will also affect the holiday season. In fact, many leading health care organizations, including the Mayo Clinic and Johns Hopkins, have posted resources on how to deal with the pandemic during the holidays, which can already be stressful. Positive thinking, planning ahead and accepting change are some of the tools they recommend to de-stress. As we face this time of uncertainty, allow me to take a moment to wish you, on behalf of the OM team, a happy and healthy holiday season, filled with the gift of positive thoughts. OM