Practice Management Alert

Question:  I work at the front desk so I’m on the frontline of cold and flu season. What can I do for our waiting room to make sure other patients and I are as protected as possible from stray germs?

Oregon Subscriber

Answer:  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has collaborated with the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) to produce a new set of tools. These new, free, downloadable Quick Observation Tools (QUOTs) are designed to be extremely easy to use, enabling healthcare facility personnel to observe and monitor facility environments in hopes of reducing the spread of disease.

While many of the tools may be more appropriate for hospital environments, there’s a Cough Courtesy tool that would suit any practice’s waiting area.

There’s an additional page for a nurse or tech (or whomever your practice designates — perhaps the front desk personnel) to sign off.

Take advantage of the tool’s guidelines, if you don’t already, by having masks and tissues available. It may also be helpful to have signage pointing toward the bathroom or a hand wash sink so people know where they can easily wash their hands, though a hand sanitizer dispenser is another option, as well.

Resource: To download this observation tool and check out others available, head to the APIC’s tool library, here: http://ipcobservationtools.site.apic.org/observation-tools-library/.