The Coronavirus is coming and Podiatry offices need to be ready. This can be done in a couple of simple steps that can protect your employees, patients and your Podiatrists from the Coronavirus. Also, it will be important that patients see what steps you are taking to prevent contamination. A lot of your patients are frail,elderly, and diabetic. Making them feel comfortable and safe will be part of the key.
1) Post the steps you are taking to sanitize and protect your patients in plain site visible to patients. Literally post them right next to the receptionist window. You need to reassure your patients. Every single thing your office is doing from using an autoclave on instruments to sanitizing your hands before interacting with patients should be posted. Patients are scared of the coronavirus and anything you can do to reassure them you should do.
2) Put the hand sanitizer in plain site. Make sure patients can see it and also may I recommend not the fancy smancy smell good sanitizer. Use a sanitizer that says kills bugs and bacteria on the bottle. Post it so the patients can see it too.
3. Have everyone that is in your office wear face masks. Yes I know they really do little to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. But this will reassure your patients that you are doing everything possible to prevent the spread. Yes, are face masks an added expense, yes, but the confidence it will place in your patients is what is important.
4. Clean Clean Clean- Clean everything all the time: the receptionist’s desk and patients chair. Clean after every use and use anti bacterial soap. But for God’s sake clean, clean, clean. Let the patients see you cleaning. If you can spare it have a medical assistant strictly dedicated to cleaning the office. Nothing is too much.
5. If there is a regional quarantine in your area close the office. No patient’s life is worth an ingrown toenail. Or work it out so only the patients in most in need of care come in, but close to elective patients. If the country or city government tell you to close, simple just close.