COVID, Flu & Cold Safety Tips for Healthcare Facilities

Ensure the safety of your staff and patients by learning how to stop the spread of COVID, the flu and colds during the winter months. Below are a few safety tips for your healthcare facility that will help reduce infection rates and keep everything clean and sanitized.

Fundamental Tips to Stop the Spread

Keeping to these simple rules can help your staff and patients from spreading the virus around:

• Get vaccinated
• Cover your mouth when coughing
• Wash your hands regularly
• Tell sick workers to stay home
• Put the proper precautions in place for sick patients
• Implement infection control where needed
• Limit visitation

Educate Your Healthcare Personnel

Provide training and education programs for healthcare workers to give them information needed on handling sick patients, minimizing contact and avoiding spreading the virus themselves. Here are just a few of the prevention facts that your staff should be aware of:

• If any staff member has a condition that puts them in the high-risk category for complications, they should inform their healthcare provider administrator if they start showing symptoms in order to get early treatment.
• Teach staff the proper cough etiquette, about their vaccine options, sick policies and proper sanitizing procedures.
• Provide the proper gear and show staff how to appropriately use protective equipment.

Provide Protective Equipment

Be prepared with the right safety gear needed to protect your staff and your patients whether they’re sick with COVID, the flu or have another ailment. While the equipment may be similar between healthcare providers and patients, there are a few different pieces of gear you don’t want to forget about.

Healthcare Providers

• Gloves are important, especially when coming into contact with infectious materials. Be sure to remove the gloves when done and wash your hands thoroughly. Do not reuse the gloves.
• Wear a gown over your clothes when coming into contact with blood or body fluids. Also be sure to remove the gown when done and wash your hands.

Patients & Visitors

• Provide facemasks to help stop the spread of COVID or the flu between patients, visitors and personnel.
• Place hand sanitizer and other hand hygiene products in high-activity areas such as entrances to the rooms, waiting rooms, and in the halls.
• Practice social distancing with plenty of space between seating or a separate seating area. Have visitors and patients sit as far away from others as possible while they wait.
• Use rapid screening stations for new patients to get a rapid screening for influenza, COVID and more.

Minimize Exposure

Once the proper safety gear is provided, you can move on to minimizing exposure. Here are a few key things to keep in mind:

• Before Arriving: Have patients complete screening online when making an appointment to avoid the spread of sickness. Also, if they are having symptoms, have them take the proper precautions, such as bringing a facemask. It’s also important to have procedures in place in case there’s a patient that isn't at risk for complications among patients that are.
• During the Visit: Take the proper steps to ensure sick patients are practicing respiratory hygiene and cough etiquette by posting signs around the waiting room and office or offering facemasks as well as instructions on how to properly use them.

Keep Things Clean

Keeping your waiting rooms, offices and restrooms clean is another great way to stop the spread of COVID, the flu and more this cold and flu season. While having hand sanitizer is important, you want to make sure you can disinfect the high-traffic areas as well. This includes the use of air purifiers and aerosol disinfectant sprays.