COVID-19

Training and Educating Our Team

One of the most important things we are doing during this time is to train and educate our staff.

• Our team has had refresher training in proper hand washing techniques. This may seem basic; however, it is the most important thing we can do to prevent spread of the virus. Research shows that it is often poorly complied with and usually not done well. Consequently, we have spent a lot of time ensuring that our team does it well and often, especially before and after every patient encounter.
• They have practiced the appropriate use of personal protective equipment (PPE) prior to caring for a patient to prevent contamination.
• We encourage staff that is not feeling well to proactively stay home for two weeks.
• We have everyone in the office take their temperature at the beginning of every day and we will immediately send home anyone with an elevated temperature (100.2 F and above).
• Limit the numbers of staff providing their care to facilitate social distancing within the office and among team members.
• We have created a specific checklist of recommendation for our team to follow so that they arrive to work healthy and go home to their families without worry. (see Checklist of Recommendations for Our Team)

Patient Interviews and Social Distancing

Before your arrival every effort is made to

• Filter patients during the phone call when scheduling appointments for care using established and recommended screening checklists.
• Reschedule patients who show any signs of a cough or fever or who describe having any concerning warning signs, or who have been in contact with a person with a known active COVID-19 infection.
• Instruct patients to call ahead and reschedule their appointment if they develop symptoms of a respiratory infection (e.g., cough, sore throat or fever) on the day they are scheduled to be seen.

To promote social distancing

• We will prioritize high risk patients (immune compromised, patients over 60, etc.) with early morning appointments so they have less contact with other people.
• When booking patients, we are spreading out our schedule so there are less people in the office at one time.
• If you are being accompanied, your escort should wait in the car to limit the number of people in the waiting room and promote social distancing.
• We will be utilizing a “virtual” waiting room: where patients will wait in their car or outside the office. We will then contact you by mobile phone when the Madison Lake Family Dental Care staff member is ready to bring you back to the treatment room.

Safety measures taken upon arrival

• We are leaving the front office doors open to avoid contact with door handles, weather permitting.
• We have now posted signs and posters at the entrance door advising patients of the COVID-19 risk and advising them not to enter the facility when ill.
• Masks and tissues will be made accessible immediately upon entry and instructions are provided on how to use tissues to cover nose and mouth when coughing or sneezing, to dispose of tissues and contaminated items in waste receptacles.
• An alcohol-based hand rub (ABHR) with 60-95% alcohol, a mask if needed, tissues and no-touch receptacles for disposal are available for patients at the entrance, in waiting rooms and at front desk.
• Posters with instructions about hand hygiene, respiratory hygiene, and cough etiquette will be posted at the entrance and in all treatment rooms. This information will include:
  • How and when to perform hand hygiene.
  • How to use tissues or elbows to cover nose and mouth when coughing or sneezing.
  • How to dispose of tissues and contaminated items in waste receptacle.

ALL of these measures can help to prevent transmission to others!!!

Protocols of the Clinical Team

We adhere to usual standard Bloodborne Pathogens Standard, provided by OSHA in each operatory, but with greater attention to detail and ensure that procedures are followed consistently and correctly.

Furthermore, we will denote a specific team member/ assistant whose main focus is only on sterilization. This team member will be responsible for cleaning, sterilizing, disinfecting and wiping down everything in the operatories and in the waiting room; chairs, handles, light switches, tables... etc. on a regular basis.

Hand Hygiene is performed by our staff

• Before and after all patient contact, contact with potentially infectious material, and before putting on and after removing personal protective equipment (PPE), including gloves.
• After removing PPE in order to remove any pathogens that might have been transferred to bare hands during the removal process.
• Washing hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.

Clinical Staff Personal Protective Equipment

• All clinical staff will wear PPE (N95 masks, gloves, cap, eye protection, face shields, and gowns.
• Masks are one time use and replace if soiled.
• N95 respirators will be used, along with a surgical mask and face shield, when performing or present for an aerosol-generating procedure.
• Our surgical mask, clinical gown, eye protection, cap and gloves are all disposable and will be changed after every patient.

Patients in the Operatory

• Dental care personnel (HCP) will strictly follow basic infection control practices between patients (e.g., hand hygiene, cleaning and disinfecting shared equipment).
• We are also limiting the movement of patients outside of the treatment rooms for patient safety.
• Whenever possible the doors to our treatment rooms will be kept closed except when entering or leaving the room, and we will minimize both entering and exiting the treatment room.
• Patients undergoing aerosol-generating procedures are in a separate room.
• Patients will then be asked to wash their hands before leaving the office.