Discussing the updates on the PDA Interim Guidelines on Infection Prevention for CoVid-19 Pandemic
(Part 4)
This is part 4 of our discussion on the Philippine Dental Association (PDA) guidelines on the infection control, the precautions dental professionals should observe before meeting patients.
Our specific topic is about the dental team’s health monitoring, patient appointment monitoring,
The PDA’s guideline says that there should be an effort to encourage all dental health workers, which include the dentists, dental assistants, and receptionists to receive seasonal flu vaccinations.
The guideline also mentions that all dental health workers exhibiting COVID or influenza-like symptoms such as fever, cough, and body malaise, should not be required to report to work.
Dental professionals or workers who exhibit such symptoms are classified as suspects under the Department of Health (DOH) revised guidelines.
Those who are having the symptoms should exercise self-monitoring for worsening of symptoms which may include shortness of breath, headache, muscle pain, and sore throat. There is also a need to check for gastrointestinal trouble such as diarrhea. If the symptoms worsen, dental professionals should go to the hospital immediately.
In the conduct of the workflow in the dental office, there is a need to impose an appointment system. The PDA recommends a two-phase triage.
Dental professionals should first determine the urgency of the case over the phone, and find out if the patient lives in an area where there is a high incidence of COVID cases or if the patient may have possible contact with confirmed COVID patients. In this case, explain to the patient the possible treatment options available to the patient and the dental clinic’s infection control protocol.
If the patient gets booked for an appointment, ensure that the clinic will be able to let the patient fill out a questionnaire checklist for possible symptoms and the patient’s exposure to a confirmed COVID patient. The patient needs to sign informed consent on treatment options and waiver forms.
Dental professionals need to observe some precautions prior to face to face consultation.
The dental professionals need to ensure that there is enough supply of personal protective equipment (PPE) and only see patients according to the availability of the PPE. If there is no PPE, there should no face to face interaction with the patient.
Dental professionals should stick with the scheduled appointments when seeing patients, except in emergency situations.
It is best to schedule the dental appointments apart so there could be time to disinfect the work areas of the clinic.
Dental professionals should make sure to have printed materials containing reminders about the minimum health protocols related to COVID such as maintaining physical distancing, wearing face masks, and frequent washing of hands.
Next week we will go into the details of the types of infection control precaution that dental professionals could implement inside a dental clinic.