5 minute read
SMM thanks Owen & Minor and McKesson teams
CDC: Here’s how to keep you, your staff and your patients safe
Editor’s note: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued Interim Infection Prevention and Control Recommendations for Patients with Suspected or Confirmed Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Healthcare Settings. Though some of the recommendations are pointed toward the inpatient setting, physician practices should adhere to others. Here are CDC’s PPE recommendations for the care of patients with known or suspected COVID-19.
ʯ Based on local and regional situational analysis of PPE supplies, facemasks are an acceptable alternative when the supply chain of respirators cannot meet the demand. During this time, available respirators should be prioritized for procedures that are likely to generate respiratory aerosols, which would pose the highest exposure risk to healthcare personnel (HCP).
ʯ Facemasks protect the wearer from splashes and sprays.
ʯ Respirators, which filter inspired air, offer respiratory protection.
ʯ When the supply chain is restored, facilities with a respiratory protection program should return to use of respirators for patients with known or suspected COVID-19. Facilities that do not currently have a respiratory protection program, but care for patients infected with pathogens for which a respirator is recommended, should implement a respiratory protection program.
ʯ Eye protection, gown, and gloves continue to be recommended.
ʯ If there are shortages of gowns, they should be prioritized for aerosol-generating procedures, care activities where splashes and sprays are anticipated, and highcontact patient care activities that provide opportunities for transfer of pathogens to the hands and clothing of HCP.
ʯ Included are considerations for designating entire units within the facility, with dedicated HCP, to care for known or suspected COVID-19 patients and options for extended use of respirators, facemasks, and eye protection on such units. Updated recommendations regarding need for an airborne infection isolation room (AIIR).
ʯ Patients with known or suspected COVID-19 should be cared for in a single-person room with the door closed. Airborne Infection Isolation Rooms (AIIRs) should be reserved for patients undergoing aerosolgenerating procedures.
ʯ Updated information in the background is based on currently available information about COVID-19 and the current situation in the United States, which includes reports of cases of community transmission, infections identified in healthcare personnel (HCP), and shortages of facemasks, N95 filtering facepiece respirators (FFRs) (commonly known as N95 respirators), and gowns.
ʯ Increased emphasis on early identification and implementation of source control (i.e., putting a facemask on patients presenting with symptoms of respiratory infection).
To Our Health Care Leaders and Providers,
First, we would like to thank all of the health care providers across the country for your dedicated courage and leadership as we combat the coronavirus disease, which continues to take its toll on our communities. We salute all health care workers and first responders for your bravery, compassion, and diligence. Henry Schein takes seriously the promise we make to our customers – Rely on Us – and that promise is especially meaningful in challenging times. Among our many efforts, we’ve announced our distribution of two point-of-care antibody rapid tests, shared information on the benefits of virtual care with Medpod, our Telemedicine Solution for health care professionals, and developed a Coronavirus (COVID-19) Resource Center.
Below is more information on these key areas.
COVID-19 Testing In collaboration with our diagnostic partners, we introduced a wide array of diagnostics specific to COVID-19. Our new point-of-care antibody tests can deliver test results within 15 minutes from a pinprick with no instrumentation required. Our portfolio allows health care professionals to use the results with a patient’s medical history, symptoms, and results of other relevant testing, to make informed decisions about patient treatment and care. Our ultimate goal is to help get Americans back to work.
Medpod for Telemedicine Medpod, Henry Schein’s telemedicine platform, comes in highly versatile configurations including a cloudbased version without devices and complete units deployed in a suitcase, stand-alone cart, or a mobile facility. To learn more about the benefits of virtual health care, please visit www.henryschein.com/medpod.
Resource and Education Center Henry Schein’s Coronavirus (COVID-19) Resource Center and Coronavirus (COVID-19) Education Center on our website delivers frequently updated information and offers educational resources to help customers with the wide range of issues presented by the outbreak.
Additionally, Henry Schein is a participant in the White House’s COVID-19 Supply Chain Task Force, and has worked with the U.S. government to ship personal protective equipment (PPE) from the Strategic National Stockpile to testing sites in support of front-line health care professionals. The Company is also working with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to source and deliver critical supplies quickly, in accordance with directions from the U.S. government.
We thank you for your service, and we applaud your personal sacrifice to stop the spread of the coronavirus and to keep our local communities healthy under these extraordinary circumstances. Sincerely,
Bradford C. Connett President, U.S. Medical Group
THE CATALYST
ADVANCING HEALTH CARE
Henry Schein has partnered with Medpod, a software solution that transforms health care delivery.
By transforming telemedicine with the most comprehensive scalable telediagnostics platform, Medpod connects groundbreaking software and medical devices, optimizes health care delivery and maximizes patient management throughout the continuum of care. Medpod elevates the medical standard for higher quality care between remote provider and patient, regardless of their physical location — maximizing flexibility and opportunity for your practice.
Are you ready to navigate the future of telemedicine? Let Henry Schein Medical and Medpod lead the way.
