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Preventive procedures for the emergency and reception department
- Movement of patients in the emergency and outpatient departments
The emergency departments and outpatient clinics are among the most critical areas that may lead to the transmission of infections to many individuals present, including patients and healthcare providers, as patients are present before their diagnosis. Therefore, the following practices must be applied:
1. Displaying posters and informative signs at entrances or patient registration desks, urging patients to inform the facility's staff if they are experiencing any symptoms of infection.
2. Conducting a documented risk assessment upon the patient's arrival (at the first point of entry into the facility), including the following:
- Elevated body temperature.
- Symptoms of respiratory infections such as coughing, sneezing, and increased nasal discharge.
- Presence of a rash.
- Vomiting or diarrhea.
- Previous infection or colonization with antibiotic-resistant microorganisms.
- Conditions leading to immunodeficiency.
- Assessing the patient's need for isolation precautions and determining the type (airborne, droplet, contact, etc.) based on clinical signs (suspicion) without waiting for laboratory results.
- If a patient is confirmed or suspected to have a contagious disease, they should be placed in a single isolation room (negative pressure for airborne isolation if possible) until medical services are provided, with priority given to their treatment. It is essential to encourage the patient to wear a surgical mask if confirmed or suspected of having diseases transmitted by airborne or droplet transmission.
- If single isolation rooms are insufficient, priority should be given to airborne isolation cases (e.g., measles, chickenpox, tuberculosis).
- Specific waiting areas should be designated for patients suffering from infectious diseases, keeping a minimum distance of one meter from other patient waiting areas, and necessary precautions should be applied to contain and prevent the spread of infections (e.g., advising respiratory infection patients to wear surgical masks, covering wounds and discharges, etc.).
