Sufficient Supply of SIZ for Medical Staff - Head of Almaty Polyclinic Confirms Stock Availability
From the frontlines of City Polyclinic No.8, Almaty's Chief Physician, Fariida Agibayeva, reveals how they're gearing up for the new pandemic surge.
In a digital interview with Almaty's regional communication service (Almaty.tv), Fariida outlined the clinic's tireless efforts to safeguard their team against infection. With a focus on education, equipment, and effective practices, the dedicated staff are prepared for the challenges ahead.
To maintain staff safety, strict protocols have been put in place. This includes comprehensive training sessions on the proper use and disposal of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). These training sessions cover everything from correct donning and doffing techniques to efficient disposal methods, with records kept to ensure accountability.
"We've established a separate entrance for medical workers, along with centralized rooms for discarding 'dirty' and donning 'clean' PPE. Each department has separate changing rooms for staff," Fariida explained.
The clinic provides a plentiful supply of PPE, including disposable masks (changed every 2 hours), antiseptics, disinfectants, and gloves (changed after each patient). They also offer gowns and disposable gloves when needed.
Apart from PPE management, regular seminars are held to educate staff on the clinical aspects, diagnosis, and treatment of COVID-19 patients under primary healthcare conditions. These sessions are updated regularly to keep up with the ever-evolving clinical protocols. The clinic also carries out medical observation and laboratory testing of contacts and asymptomatic carriers.
In addition, the clinic has a robust stash of essential medications for 120 days and is fully equipped with medical devices and equipment.
Looking beyond these practical steps, City Polyclinic No.8 is also addressing the mental wellbeing of their staff. The clinic recognizes the immense stress and burnout healthcare workers may experience during such turbulent times and is actively seeking ways to provide support and resources.
The best practices observed at City Polyclinic No.8 can be extrapolated from broader healthcare guidelines. Training and education are vital, ensuring healthcare staff are well-informed about the pathogen, its transmission, and necessary precautions. Time-efficient training methods, such as simulation-based learning, are useful for reinforcing practical skills and decision-making in high-pressure situations.
Standardized protocols for PPE usage, reuse (if applicable), and disposal are essential for efficiency and safety. Maintaining a robust inventory management system is crucial in avoiding stockouts and ensuring adequate PPE supplies. Rigorous continuous monitoring helps in updating PPE guidelines as new research emerges and pandemic conditions change.
Collaboration and communication among healthcare staff are key in sharing best practices and addressing challenges effectively. Flexible work arrangements can help support work-life balance and reduce burnout among healthcare workers. Innovative technologies and digital platforms can enhance training, patient care, and PPE management.
In essence, preventing infection among clinic staff requires a multi-faceted approach that emphasizes education, equipment, and infection safety measures.
- City Polyclinic No.8, in their preparation for the new pandemic surge, not only focuses on providing essential medical equipment but also prioritizes the health and wellness of their staff, including therapies and treatments for workplace-wellness, addressing medical conditions that may arise due to stress and burnout.
- As part of their comprehensive approach towards workplace-wellness, regular seminars are held to educate staff on various health-and-wellness topics, including the clinical aspects, diagnosis, and treatment of medical conditions, and stress management techniques.
- Beyond practicalsteps, the clinic also acknowledges the importance of science in informing their practices, continually updating their knowledge on the latest research and developments in the field of science, and applying these findings to enhance their therapies-and-treatments and infection safety measures.
