Steps For Home Care Of Coronavirus Patients
This is for people who have been asked by their doctor to shelter at home or self-quarantine due to a covid-19 infection or possible infection it's also for family members or friends who need to care for a patient at home I want to share
18 steps based on the World Health Organization
World Health Organization guidance from a document called home to care for patients with suspected novel coronavirus Cova 19 infection presenting with mild symptoms and management of their contacts everything we talk about will be from this document or similar guidance from the CDC before we get to the 18 steps home care should only be considered in In the following cases, the illness is mild the patient is symptomatic but no longer requires hospitalization an informed the decision has been made to refuse hospitalization inpatient care is unavailable or unsafe in other words the capacity is limited or the resources are unable to meet the demand for health care services and in any of these cases the patient must not have underlying chronic conditions that place them at a greater risk for developing complications conditions like lung or heart conditions renal failure or other immunocompromising conditions there should be communication established between your doctor or health care provider for the duration of the home care until symptoms have resolved and that includes an assessment of the patient's the home environment to make sure it's suitable for home care and for the purposes of the World Health Organization document the term caregivers refer to parents spouses and other family members or friends without formal health care training let's go to
step 1
Place the patient in a well ventilated single room in other words with windows open and a door open, I'll get two more on the ventilation in just a moment
step 2
limit the movement of the patient in the house and minimize shared space ensure that shared spaces in other words the kitchen the bathroom are well ventilated again keep windows open so if you have a kitchen exhaust fan or a bathroom vent the fan you may want to keep those running some more guidance that was given by the CDC says to make sure that shared spaces in the home good airflow such as an air conditioner or an opened window weather permitting
step 3
Household members should stay in a different room or if that's not possible maintain a distance of at least 3 feet from the ill person for instance sleep in a separate bed
step 4
Limit the number of caregivers ideally assign one the person who is in good health and has no underlying chronic or immune compromising conditions visitors should not be allowed until the patient has completely recovered and has no signs and symptoms
step 5
Perform hand hygiene after any type of contact with patients or they're immediate the environment in other words hand-washing and hygiene should also be performed before and after preparing food before eating after using the toilet and whenever hands look dirty if hands are not visibly dirty an alcohol-based hand rub can be used for visibly dirty hands use soap and water a little more guidance from the CDC to avoid touching your eyes nose and mouth with unwashed hands
step 6
When washing hands with soap and water it's preferable to use disposable paper towels to dry hands if these are not available use clean cloth towels and replace them when they become wet
step 7
To contain respiratory secretions a the medical mask should be provided to the patient and worn as much as possible now let's talk about this for a second because with the shortage of medical masks this is going to be really difficult so let me share some guidance from the CDC about homemade masks this is what they say in settings where the face masks are not available health care providers might use homemade masks the examples they give a bandana a scarf for care of patients with Cova 19 as a last resort however homemade masks are not considered personal protective equipment since their capability to protect healthcare providers are unknown caution should be exercised when considering this option homemade masks should ideally, be used in combination with a face shield that covers the entire front in other words, it extends to the chin or below and the sides of the face so what What I'm going to do is include a link or multi links in the description box below this video to some guidance some videos that'll show you how to make a homemade face shield and a homemade face mask because in the event that you can't get your hands on an actual medical mask or n95 it's at least better than nothing to have some type of covering over your the face I hope that helps at least a little a bit on this
step 7
Here it goes on to say individuals who cannot tolerate a the medical mask should use rigorous respiratory hygiene that is the mouth and nose should be covered with disposable paper tissue when coughing or sneezing materials used to cover the mouth and nose should be discarded or cleaned appropriately after use so if it's a handkerchief wash the handkerchief using regular soap or detergent and water step 8 is also about medical masks caregivers should wear a a tightly fitted medical mask that covers their mouth and nose when in the same room as the patient mass should not be touched or handled during use if the the mask is wet or dirty from secretions it must be replaced immediately with a new clean dry mask remove the mask using the an appropriate technique that is don't touch the front of it but instead untie it discard the mask immediately after use and perform hand hygiene
step 9
Avoid direct contact with body fluids particularly oral or respiratory secretions and stool use disposable gloves and a mask when providing oral or respiratory care and when handling stool urine or other waste perform hand hygiene before and after removing gloves and mask
step 10
Do not reuse masks or gloves
step 11
Use dedicated linen and eating utensils for the patient these items should be cleaned with soap and water after use and may be reused instead of being thrown away
step 12
Is to clean and disinfect daily surfaces that are frequently touched in the room where the patient is being cared for such as bedside tables bed frames and other bedroom furniture regular household soap or detergent should be used first for cleaning and then after rinsing regular household distant affecting containing 0.5% sodium hypochlorite so let's get some guidance on what a disinfectant can be there is an 11-page document that I will link in the description below it's specifically Covid 19 fighting products that are commercially available if you're wondering what counts as a disinfectant
step 13
Is to clean and disinfect bathroom and toilet surfaces at least once daily same guidance here regular household soap or detergent first then after rinsing your disinfectant let me give some more guidance from the CDC on disinfecting their recommendations for home care situations are to clean and disinfect high-touch surfaces daily in the household common areas your tables hardback chairs doorknobs light switches remotes handle desks toilets and sinks also, it's important to follow the directions on your disinfectant for For instance, my Clorox wipes say that that liquid from the wipe needs to be on the surface for 4 minutes before it's actually disinfecting
step 14
Clean the patient's clothes bed linen and bath and hand towels using regular laundry soap and water or machine wash them on the hot water setting with common household detergent and then dry them thoroughly place contaminated linen into a laundry bag and do not shake soiled laundry and avoid contaminated materials coming into contact with your skin and clothes
step 15
Gloves and protective clothing for instance, a plastic apron should be used when cleaning surfaces or handling clothing or linen soiled with body fluids depending on the context either utility or single-use gloves can be used after use, the utility clubs should be cleaned with soap and water and decontaminated with a disinfectant and single-use gloves like your nitrile gloves or latex gloves should be discarded after each use perform hand washing before and after removing the gloves
step 16
Gloves masks and other waste generated during at-home patient care should be placed into a waste bin with a lid in the patient's room before being disposed of as infectious waste
step 17
Avoid other types of exposure to contaminated items from the patient's the immediate environment in other words do not share toothbrushes cigarettes eating utensils dishes towels washcloths or bed linen
step 18
when healthcare workers provide home care they should perform a risk assessment to select the appropriate personal protective equipment
And follow
the recommendations for droplet and contact precautions those are the 18 steps that are provided and please remember if anyone who's at home has conditions that worsen you need to contact their medical provider or doctor immediately I really hope this has been helpful and will continue to bring you whatever information we can that could be helpful during this pandemic
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