Elin Bjarnason, VP, Clinical Operations and Dr. Ben Williams, Interim VP, Medical Affairs
We now have updated direction from the Provincial Health Officer on actions we need to take that preserve our supplies of personal protective equipment (PPE). When our supply is at risk of becoming depleted, prioritization of allocation must take place in order to protect health care workers and to support continuation of care:
- Island Health has been directed to secure our PPE supply in one location in each facility to effectively control distribution. Some of this control is already in place at Island Health sites, and we are working as quickly as possible to ensure this is in place at all facilities.
- Healthcare workers should do a full risk assessment and complete a point of care assessment for every patient or resident interaction and use appropriate PPE. Appropriate PPE use includes diligent hand hygiene, particularly when donning and doffing PPE.
- Healthcare workers and staff who have direct physical contact with patients who are suspected of having (awaiting lab results), or have been diagnosed with COVID-19, must follow droplet and contact precautions, which includes wearing a surgical or procedural mask, clean eye protection, NEW gloves and gown.
- N95 respirators must only be used for Aerosol Generating Medical Procedures on patients confirmed or suspected of having COVID-19.
- Health care workers limit their use of PPE as follows:
- Use one mask or respirator per shift. Must be worn for all patient contact, unless the mask is too damp, soiled, or damaged for effective droplet protection, or when you leave the unit, ward or facility (see Health Canada’s: Optimizing the use of masks and respirators during the COVID-19 outbreak).
- Use one form of eye protection (visor/face shield/goggles) per shift and reuse eye protection between shifts or after leaving a unit, ward, or facility using appropriate cleaning protocols.
- Use one mask or respirator per shift. Must be worn for all patient contact, unless the mask is too damp, soiled, or damaged for effective droplet protection, or when you leave the unit, ward or facility (see Health Canada’s: Optimizing the use of masks and respirators during the COVID-19 outbreak).
CLEANING PROTOCOLS
- If visor/face shield has elastic/Velcro strapping, it should be designated to the individual staff member and hand-washed daily.
- With a clean pair of gloves, carefully wipe the inside, followed by the outside of the face shield or goggles using a clean cloth with soap and water.
- Carefully wipe the outside of the face shield or goggles using a hospital grade disinfectant wipe.
- Wipe the outside of face shield or goggles with clean water to remove residue.
- Fully dry (air dry or use clean absorbent towels) and store in a designated clean storage area.
- Remove gloves and perform hand hygiene.
ADDITIONAL GUIDANCE
- Follow additional infection prevention control precautions as appropriate for the clinical scenario. Additional recommendations are available at on the COVID-19 page on the intranet.
- Remember the key step to protecting patients and yourself is good hand hygiene at all times.
If you have questions, please direct them to your site or unit leader.