Sent on behalf of Michael Gately:

RafaelaConsider putting patients Head to Tail where separation is not adequate.

Michael​

GATELY

Hello Sarah

We were talking about this on zoom yesterday.  We have an online IPC powerpoint with assessment at end for staff to complete yearly.  The idea is that everyone attends orientation and does the hand hygiene workshop and thereafter the staff complete the online IPC education.  This data is then kept by the Clinical Educator.  In 201…[Read more]

Hi Rafaela

You should recommend bed space of 3.7 x 3.6 for multi bed rooms (Irish guidelines advise max 3 beds in a multi-bed room but UK say 4 beds).  By the sounds of your email, I don’t think you are planning a new ward so I would advise 2 metres distance from chair beside next bed to centre of other bed.  It’s not just about bed to bed s…[Read more]

Thank you Rafaela for the response and link to HIS webinar.

Its very interesting that Dr. Cariad said that majority of staff found to be positive SARS-CoV-2 identified during staff screening, went on to develop symptoms of COVID-19.  As you stated the aim of the screening was to interrupt onward transmission.  Another person questioned was it s…[Read more]

Hi Lenora,

We are not testing asymptomatic staff at Bon Secours Dublin.

Coincidentally, that topic was discussed during HIS Webinar last evening. One of the questions was: “Why is testing of asymptomatic people (staff/patients) recommended? In the context of no symptoms what s the relevance of a positive PCR”?

Dr. Cariad Evans, (Consultant…[Read more]

Hello Caroline

Sorry cannot help you with this as I have not seen anything like this.

kind regards

Lenora

Good morning Rafaela & Alison

We simplified it and kept all inpatients same criteria but we look for 14 days (with 5 fever free) & 2 negatives 24 hours apart before discontinuing isolation.

If patient going home we do same as you Alison, no re-swabbing.

I’ve enclosed a SNIP from our COVID-19 policy.

Kind regards

Lenora

Dear all,

Regards the duration of transmission based precautions, are you discontinuing precautions after 14 days of onset of symptoms/5 days fever free or keeping the patient in isolation during the length of stay? It’s my understanding that some hospitals are keeping recovered COVID patients in precautions during the whole admission, reducing…[Read more]

Agree Siobhan

This is what we are advising.

Stay safe everyone.

Kind regards

Lenora

Chair IPCIreland

On behalf of Siobhan Prout:
Siobhan Prout replied 20 hours, 53 minutes ago

Hi Lenora,
would it be a suitable suggestion at this time to have the masks that are used for clinical care to continue to be disposed of as healthcare risk waste and those that are worn outside the activity of patient care to be discarded in the closest waste bin as i…[Read more]

Hello Rafaela

I understand that is happening in James Hospital (3 masks) and then other hospitals are supplying 4 masks per staff per day.  In our hospital we are advising standard surgical masks for all staff in contact with patient and all staff in contact with staff <2 metres and > 15 minutes, leave mask maximum time 3 hours or change when go…[Read more]