Managing Infectious Patients

Policy

We use infection prevention and control precautions to manage patients with infectious symptoms, especially respiratory symptoms.

This mitigates the risk of transmitting infection by ensuring that patients in waiting areas, and practice staff, aren't unnecessarily exposed to respiratory illnesses.

To manage potentially infectious patients, we:

• assess risk before every interaction with a patient, e.g. by screening for respiratory symptoms
• separate patients with respiratory or other infectious symptoms so they don't come into close contact with other patients
• take appropriate precautions to reduce transmission during in-person care.

During an outbreak we follow the guidance of health authorities and may increase precautions as documented in our pandemic response plan.

Separating infectious patients (red stream)

Q93

Identify and separate patients with infectious signs and symptoms so they don't come into close contact with other patients:

1. Ask patients who phone for an appointment whether they have respiratory symptoms.
2. Place patients with respiratory symptoms on the list for the phone triage nurse.
3. The phone triage nurse contacts and triages red-stream patients.
4. If the patient needs an examination or swab, the phone triage nurse books an appointment in the designated clinic.
5. Direct patients to wait separately when they arrive, e.g. ask them to wait in the car and phone the practice on arrival.
6. Examine patients in a designated assessment room/area.

Precautions when caring for infectious patients

When caring for patients with infectious symptoms at the practice:

• Follow standard precautions.
• Use appropriate PPE.

  Appropriate PPE might include:

  • N95/P2 particulate respirator mask for respiratory symptoms.
  • Gloves and apron for diarrhoeal symptoms.

• After the consultation, clean and disinfect any surfaces the patient has touched, using hospital-grade disinfectant.
• Disinfect or sterilise any reusable equipment.
• Dispose of PPE in a closed clinical waste bin and perform hand hygiene.

This page was reviewed with input from Ruth Barratt, Infection Prevention & Control and Quality Advisor (PhD, MAdvPrac (Hons), RN, CICP-E).

Related policies

Pandemic Response

Standard Precautions

Telehealth

Waste Management

Resources

Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora: Respiratory risk-assessment and PPE guidance for healthcare workers

Red stream, red-stream, COVID, Covid, measles, influenza, isolation, respiratory, cough, triage