ARTICLE
Creating a COVID Safe Clinic
Christine Pope | B . Comm , B Health Science ( Comp Med ), Adv Dip Naturopathy , Adv Dip Nutritional Medicine , Adv Dip Homeopathy
In the last 18 months of border closures practitioners have largely been protected from the reality of living with COVID-19 in practice . While many States and Territories have been affected by shorter or longer lockdowns , most clinics were opening in an environment where COVID-19 was no longer present in their State or Territory . With the more infectious Delta strain and the push to re-open across the economy , practitioners now need to adopt a more rigorous COVID-safe protocol to minimise the risk of transmission in their clinics and to protect themselves and their businesses .
COVID Safe Principles
Each State or Territory is establishing its own COVID-19 Safe plans and it is always advisable to review the material from your jurisdiction ’ s health department . The key principles however are as follows :
1 . Social distancing or a density limit , usually expressed as either a 1.5m distance between people , or a capacity limit , such as one person per four square metres .
2 . Hygiene , in the form of regular hand washing and the use of hand sanitiser .
3 . Infection control , through regular cleaning of high-touch surfaces with an appropriate disinfectant .
4 . Tracking and tracing , through a QR Code login , as well as a register for those who may not have access to a smart phone .
5 . Mask wearing .
6 . Welfare of staff and clients .
Another issue that has become increasingly more critical with the Delta variant is ventilation . It is recommended that you make use of natural ventilation where possible , leaving doors and windows open . Evidence is also emerging for the value of air filters with high quality HEPA filtration to reduce viral load .
No one measure on its own is going to be adequate to control the spread of a respiratory virus , but a combination of them in your clinic creates a safer environment and reduces the risk of spreading infection to your practitioners and clients . This in turn minimises the risk of needing to close your clinic or isolate for 7-14 days .
Social Distancing To minimise the contact between clients attending your clinic you need to look at the capacity of your business to accommodate people ( based on the capacity limits required of your space ) and the overlap when people are arriving for and leaving from their appointments .
Ideally , create sufficient time between appointments so that the client who has finished treatment can pay , rebook and leave the premises before the next client enters the clinic . This provides time for the practitioner to clean hightouch surfaces between appointments , and to replace linen . Depending on
218 | vol27 | no4 | JATMS