Advice to get through COVID working in a medical office

[hhihe730]

I’m at a smaller, privately owned ENT clinic and they are refusing to shut their doors unless it’s government mandated or an employee becomes diagnosed with the virus. I’m worried because most of my patients are elderly and they are still coming in for what I deem to be non essential appointments.

[Rylito]

Wow, that is really serious.  ENTs are at particular risk in this epidemic: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-03-17/europe-s-doctors-getting-sick-like-in-wuhan-chinese-doctors-say

What precautions are the practitioners taking?  And what precautions are you taking in the office?

[hhihe730]

We’re taking some extra precautions like taking temps and limiting people but we are still regularly seeing patients one on one. I mostly see patients in their 60s and older. I’m vigilantly trying to sanitize and use gloves. I’m more worried about being in close quarters. I wonder if we should be putting an age restriction on who comes in or if that’s even possible.

[Cranky]

Nonessential medical and dental appointments here were all cancelled over a week ago.

Our GP is across the street, and they have signs on the doors that say if you've got flu symptoms, don't even come in that building.

[Rylito]

Hehe, I would think at the least you and your staff should be wearing surgical masks and also providing them to patients to wear in the waiting room.  Advise your patients to sit 6' apart in the waiting room. 

[Freedomin5]

Assume that you and everyone who enters the office has COVID-19 and operate with that assumption in mind. Wear a mask, stay at least 2 meters (6 feet) away from people, space chairs out in waiting area so that they are six feet apart, wear gloves at all times, don’t wear the same clothes two days in a row, change out of and wash your clothes as soon as you get home. If you take off your gloves, wash your hands using proper technique right away. Use Lysol wipes or disinfectant spray to clean commonly touched areas several times a day. Open windows to air out the building. If the patient is not wearing a mask, give them a mask when they arrive. Have hand sanitizer available at the door and ask them to use hand sanitizer as soon as they arrive.

Many of these suggestions are what the Chinese government has asked us to do while we are under home quarantine.

[startingsmall]

I'm a veterinarian who is currently on unpaid leave for similar reasons. It's so frustrating when even medical professionals just don't get it.