Flu season is always a challenging time for medical practitioners, but it is even more so this year. The COVID-19 Pandemic is still raging across the country. As such, we will be dealing with the spread of both the coronavirus and the flu. Since individuals can contract these illnesses at the same time, it is imperative to protect your patients and staff. Here are a few ways to get you started:
Limit how many people are in your clinic at the same time
The best way to limit the spread of the coronavirus and the flu is to limit public gatherings. This is especially important for medical practices. Individuals suffering from either illness may come in for treatment, exposing vulnerable patients. While in-person visits are still necessary, you can limit how many patients arrive at one time.
Telehealth
Virtual care can treat healthy patients or patients with easily diagnosable issues. It can also help your staff determine if a patient needs an in-person visit or not. Nevertheless, it is not without drawbacks. Be open to constant feedback from patients and staff to ensure a seamless experience.
Scale by specialty
During the spring, many medical practices scaled back their elective procedures. Now that cases of COVID-19 and the flu are rising, medical practitioners should scale back these procedures once more. This will reduce the number of patients and ensure everyone receives the care they need.
Provide clear guidance to patients
By instituting the above changes, some confusion may arise. Thankfully, you have many ways to keep your patients informed. Your website, social media, and emails should be up-to-date with the latest information. You can also post signs throughout your practice reminding visitors to wear a mask and stay 6 feet apart.
Prepare your waiting rooms
There will be instances where patients will have to come into the office. As such, limit the potential spread with a clean, socially distanced waiting room. While not easy, you can make it work by following these steps:
- Keep chairs 6 feet apart
- Provide the option for patients to wait in their cars until their allotted time
- Schedule sick patients during one block of time and healthy patients during another
- Clean and sanitize the waiting room multiple times throughout the day
- Get rid of high-touch items such as magazines or pens
Encourage patients to get their flu shot
While there is currently no vaccine for the coronavirus, there is one for the flu. As a medical practitioner, you know the importance of getting a flu shot, but your patients may not. Lecturing them will only do so much. Instead, remind them how easy it is to get a flu shot this year. Provide a list of flu shot locations and remind them that flu shots are almost always free.
Protect your staff
From nurses to receptionists, your staff is at a high risk of contracting the coronavirus or the flu. Plus, if they catch one of these illnesses, they could spread it to your patients. Protect your staff by using PPE, sanitizing surfaces frequently, and enforcing social distancing. They should also check themselves for symptoms frequently, getting tested if they portray any signs of COVID-19.
The coronavirus isn’t going away, and neither is the flu. Contact Novum Medical Products to see how our medical products and equipment can help your practice during the 2020 flu season.