Clinic Disinfection Procedures
Family Physiotherapy takes your health and safety and that of our community and staff seriously. Our team follows disinfection and sanitizing standards as set out in the Provincial Infectious Diseases Advisory Committee Infection Prevention and Control (PIDAC-IPC) best practice documents. These standards are updated from time to time and set the criteria for preventing disease transmission in Health Care settings.
Effective environmental cleaning will interrupt direct patient to surface to patient transmission of microorganisms, and minimize (along with effective hand hygiene) surface to health care provider to patient transmission.
PIDAC classifies equipment used in health care settings based on the risk of contamination of the involved equipment and transmission between patients. Within each category appropriate disinfectant products are recommended.
Disinfecting Treatment Areas
The treatment tables at Family Physiotherapy are considered non-critical equipment as they only come into contact with at most, intact skin. PIDAC advises that for these surfaces a low level disinfectant should be used. At Family Physiotherapy, we use an activated hydrogen peroxide formulation (Virox) for disinfecting high touch hard surfaces such as treatment tables. For less frequently touched areas we also use a quartenary ammonium compound formulation that is applied to surfaces between patient use. The active ingredient in this product is alkyl dimethyl ethylbenzyl ammonium chloride.
As per guidelines, carpeting is not present in treatment rooms. Carpeting has been associated with an increased risk of health care-associated infection rates in immunocompromised populations.
Disinfecting Treatment Tools
The therapists at Family Physiotherapy utilize evidence-based manual therapy techniques when appropriate and beneficial to your care and goals. Therapists disinfect their hands by either washing or using alcohol based disinfectants between patients. Some treatment tools are not reusable, such as disposal examination gloves and disposable acupuncture needles. These tools are discarded after use in appropriate receptacles.
Other treatment tools may be re-used, including reflex hammers, silicone cups, hand weights, electrodes and myofascial release tools. These products are placed in a “soiled” container which is routinely cleaned by our staff before being moved to a “clean” container.
Disinfection in Response to COVID-19
The products used at Family Physiotherapy meet provincial disinfection standards against COVID-19. Physical distancing at the clinic will involve therapists staying in one treatment area for all of their patients. We will continue to maintain our high level of disinfection standards. We have also made a number of changes to the policies and procedures of the clinic to improve distancing to keep everyone safe.
References
Ontario Agency for Health Protection and Promotion (Public Health Ontario), Provincial Infectious Diseases Advisory Committee. Best practices for environmental cleaning for prevention and control of infections in all health care settings. 3rd ed. Toronto, ON: Queen’s Printer for Ontario; 2018.