Every hospital reception and doctor getting patients with respiratory symptoms - a cough or just a bit of a sneeze, is wondering - what if this is COVID-19? We want to help you prepare your facility and staff for this.
First of all, as a community service, we are offering our cloud-based clinic queue system to all clinics while we're still under threat from COVID-19. Sign up above if you're interested in finding out how you can start using VirtuaQ for your hospital, clinic or diagnostics center.
We have compiled a list of COVID-19 best practices for doctors and hospital administrators. Follow these steps for prevention, diagnosis and treatment.
This is information provided by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Simple actionable steps that hospitals and clinics can implement to be ready and prepared for Covid-19. The idea being to prevent its spread into your facility, staff and patients.
Stay informed about the latest news and updates about Covid-19.
Develop an emergency plan, including alternative staff resources to fill in for people who don't show up to work.
Compile a list of emergency contacts that you will have to call on, should you get a COVID-19 case, and make sure they will be on stand-by, ready to respond, if needed.
Protect medical staff by informing them of the procedure you are going to follow, and conduct drills on the use of personal protective equipment (PPE). See the CDC’s PPE checklist and ensure you have an adequate supply of all PPE needed for all your staff.
Protect your patients by screening them “before” they arrive at your facility. Ask every patient to schedule an appointment online using a queue management system. It can also separate the patients with symptoms of respiratory illness.
Avail of telemedicine technologies to consult with patients, and only ask them to come in to see you in person at your clinic if needed. Ensure that COVID-19 patients under investigation (PUI) are isolated from your other patients throughout the patient journey within your clinic or hospital premises.
At the moment, the advice from CDC is that clinician’s must exercise their best judgment on whether a patient has symptoms matching those of COVID-19. Patients who have tested positive tend to have a fever, with acute respiratory illness symptoms including cough and difficulty in breathing.
Even so, test the patient for other causes with similar symptoms, such as the flu.
Before labeling a patient as a COVID-19 PUI, check for history of recent travel to locations with known cases and/or close contact with patients that have tested positive, where said contact happened within 14 days after onset of symptoms.
CDC recommends collecting and testing upper respiratory tract specimens, and also (if possible) lower respiratory tract specimens. More information about COVID-19 specimen collection, handling, and storage here.
At the moment, there is no specific treatment available for COVID-19. The recommended course of action is inform the local health authorities.
Isolate the PUI and make them put on a mask to cover mouth and nose, until such time as they are moved into an Airborne Infection Isolation Room (AIIR) where the mask can be removed.
The only treatment that can be provided at this time is for management and mitigation of complications.