Management of Influenza Patients
Physically separate the patient with influenza from non-ill persons living in the home as much as possible. A separate room should be set up so that the sick person can be isolated. To set up a separate room, you may need extra bedding supplies, including sheets, towels and plastic mattress covers.
Consider where you could make up a sickbay that would be isolated from the rest of the house. Also consider how you would ventilate this room. It is important that air from the room is expelled to the outside of the house and not back into the house, so make a plan of how that might be done.
To minimize the risk of spread, only the caregivers who are absolutely necessary should visit the sick person’s room, and they should always wash their hands thoroughly upon leaving. Wearing of masks can be helpful as long as you realize that it is not a panacea.
Patients should not leave the home during the period when they are most likely to be infectious to others (i.e., 7 days from the onset of symptoms for adults or until 24-48 hours after resolution of symptoms, whichever is longer). When movement outside the home is necessary (e.g., for medical care), the patient should follow cough etiquette (i.e., cover the mouth and nose when coughing and sneezing) and wear a surgical mask if available.
How to wear a mask:
If you choose to wear a mask, place it over your nose, mouth and chin and secure in place with either the strings or elastic bands provided. Adjust the metallic strip over the bridge of your nose to ensure a secure fit so that leaks are prevented. When removing the mask, do so by touching the straps only. Carefully place the face mask into a plastic bag and tie the bag closed before putting it into a rubbish bin, preferably one with a lid. Remember that masks cannot eliminate the possibility of infection.
Management of Other Persons in the Home
Persons/visitors who have not been exposed to pandemic influenza and who are not essential for patient care or support should not enter the home while persons are actively ill with pandemic influenza.
If unexposed persons must enter the home, they should avoid close contact with the patient.
Persons living in the home with the pandemic influenza patient should limit contact with the patient to the extent possible; consider designating one person as the primary care provider.
Household members should be vigilant for the development of influenza symptoms.
Infection Control Measures in the Home
All persons in the household should carefully follow recommendations for hand hygiene (i.e., hand washing with soap and water or use of an alcohol-based hand rub) after contact with an influenza patient or the environment in which care is provided.
Although no studies have assessed the use of masks at home to decrease the spread of infection, use of surgical masks by the patient and/or caregiver during interactions may be of benefit. The wearing of gloves and gowns is not recommended for household members providing care in the home.
Soiled dishes and eating utensils should be washed either in a dishwasher or by hand with warm water and soap. Separation of eating utensils for use by a patient with influenza is not necessary.
Laundry can be washed in a standard washing machine with warm or cold water and detergent. It is not necessary to separate soiled linen and laundry used by a patient with influenza from other household laundry. Care should be used when handling soiled laundry (e.g., avoid “hugging” the laundry) to avoid contamination. Hand hygiene should be performed after handling soiled laundry.
Tissues used by the ill patient should be placed in a bag and disposed with other household waste. Consider placing a bag for this purpose at the bedside.
Normal cleaning of environmental surfaces in the home should be followed.
=========
Resources / Useful websites :
United Nations: http://www.un.un.org/staff/pandemic
World Health Organization: http://www.who.int/csr/disease/swineflu/en.index.html
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): http://www.cdc.gov.swineflu/investigation.htm
The Big NM - Network Management for Filipinos: http://www.thebignm.net
Live well and prosper!
© 2009
Peter Allan Mariano
Talakayan at Kalusugan - DWBL1242 4-5pm Mon-Fri
The Big NM - Network Management for Filipinos
Links2Prosperity Marketing - Web Marketing : Web Content : Web Design
Entreplink Philippines - Moderator
Follow me on TWITTER:
Join my FACEBOOK Family:
Physically separate the patient with influenza from non-ill persons living in the home as much as possible. A separate room should be set up so that the sick person can be isolated. To set up a separate room, you may need extra bedding supplies, including sheets, towels and plastic mattress covers.
Consider where you could make up a sickbay that would be isolated from the rest of the house. Also consider how you would ventilate this room. It is important that air from the room is expelled to the outside of the house and not back into the house, so make a plan of how that might be done.
To minimize the risk of spread, only the caregivers who are absolutely necessary should visit the sick person’s room, and they should always wash their hands thoroughly upon leaving. Wearing of masks can be helpful as long as you realize that it is not a panacea.
Patients should not leave the home during the period when they are most likely to be infectious to others (i.e., 7 days from the onset of symptoms for adults or until 24-48 hours after resolution of symptoms, whichever is longer). When movement outside the home is necessary (e.g., for medical care), the patient should follow cough etiquette (i.e., cover the mouth and nose when coughing and sneezing) and wear a surgical mask if available.
How to wear a mask:
If you choose to wear a mask, place it over your nose, mouth and chin and secure in place with either the strings or elastic bands provided. Adjust the metallic strip over the bridge of your nose to ensure a secure fit so that leaks are prevented. When removing the mask, do so by touching the straps only. Carefully place the face mask into a plastic bag and tie the bag closed before putting it into a rubbish bin, preferably one with a lid. Remember that masks cannot eliminate the possibility of infection.
Management of Other Persons in the Home
Persons/visitors who have not been exposed to pandemic influenza and who are not essential for patient care or support should not enter the home while persons are actively ill with pandemic influenza.
If unexposed persons must enter the home, they should avoid close contact with the patient.
Persons living in the home with the pandemic influenza patient should limit contact with the patient to the extent possible; consider designating one person as the primary care provider.
Household members should be vigilant for the development of influenza symptoms.
Infection Control Measures in the Home
All persons in the household should carefully follow recommendations for hand hygiene (i.e., hand washing with soap and water or use of an alcohol-based hand rub) after contact with an influenza patient or the environment in which care is provided.
Although no studies have assessed the use of masks at home to decrease the spread of infection, use of surgical masks by the patient and/or caregiver during interactions may be of benefit. The wearing of gloves and gowns is not recommended for household members providing care in the home.
Soiled dishes and eating utensils should be washed either in a dishwasher or by hand with warm water and soap. Separation of eating utensils for use by a patient with influenza is not necessary.
Laundry can be washed in a standard washing machine with warm or cold water and detergent. It is not necessary to separate soiled linen and laundry used by a patient with influenza from other household laundry. Care should be used when handling soiled laundry (e.g., avoid “hugging” the laundry) to avoid contamination. Hand hygiene should be performed after handling soiled laundry.
Tissues used by the ill patient should be placed in a bag and disposed with other household waste. Consider placing a bag for this purpose at the bedside.
Normal cleaning of environmental surfaces in the home should be followed.
=========
Resources / Useful websites :
United Nations: http://www.un.un.org/staff/pandemic
World Health Organization: http://www.who.int/csr/disease/swineflu/en.index.html
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): http://www.cdc.gov.swineflu/investigation.htm
The Big NM - Network Management for Filipinos: http://www.thebignm.net
Live well and prosper!
© 2009
Peter Allan Mariano
Talakayan at Kalusugan - DWBL1242 4-5pm Mon-Fri
The Big NM - Network Management for Filipinos
Links2Prosperity Marketing - Web Marketing : Web Content : Web Design
Entreplink Philippines - Moderator
Follow me on TWITTER:
Join my FACEBOOK Family:
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