Course Access
Hi Crystal,
If you have to have gloves the best option is to have kitchen washing type gloves. These should be at least 2 sizes bigger than required. They can be worn for the whole shift but people should be instructed that they are not to make the other persons forehead clear – the person being tested must do that themselves.
The advantage of kitchen gloves is that they are unlikely to touch their own face or play on their iPhone etc. Also they can reuse them and save the masses of unnecessary environmental pollution. The Uni could pay each person an extra allowance to supply their own reusable gloves. This would save the uni the logistical exercise of supply and storage and they could champion themselves as being environmentally friendly.
There are other issues with generalised instructions coming from people who think the protection is in the object and not in the way the object is used.
(The exception being masks – I now think they are probably working in the community setting because they act as a very prominent reminder that COVID is present and people are more conscious of personal space with them on!)
kind regards
Glenda
Dr Glenda Farmer BDSc ,BDent Studies
Infection control
SmartDentist P/L
> On 10 Sep 2020, at 10:08 am, Crystal Polson wrote:
>
> Thanks everyone for your feedback. Much appreciated.
>
> Michael – we are using contactless forehead thermometers. And I have witnessed exactly what you mentioned regarding inappropriate glove use. The cashiers at Costco wear them for hours at a time (I know because I asked the person ringing me up how often she was required to change them). I emailed Costco’s health and safety director and asked about their glove use protocol. He said the directive they received from the US head office was to only change them if they “got dirty.” Yikes.
>
> I also noted that clinicians doing COVID tests at drive-through clinics here in Melbourne weren’t changing gloves between tests! Which means they weren’t performing hand hygiene, either.
>
> Rachel – I agree with you. Work Safe has introduced an unintended risk by recommending glove use. And they don’t provide context on how to safely use them for non-healthcare workplaces introducing temp screenings.
>
> I am hoping to convince Uni Melb to forgo gloves for temp checks, but it may be difficult. They typically stick tight to Work Safe recommendations.
>
> Thanks again, all. Great to hear your thoughts.
>
> Cheers
> Crystal
>
> Crystal Polson, RN, MSN
> Infection Control Coordinator
> University of Melbourne
> crystal.polson@unimelb.edu.au
>
>
>
>
>
> On Thu, Sep 10, 2020 at 9:38 AM Michael Wishart <Michael.Wishart@svha.org.au > wrote:
> I had a discussion with someone performing temp screening at an airport about this. They were wearing gloves, and doing tympanic temperature readings. They quite frequently had to manipulate either the persons hair or their pinna to get a reading, but were not changing gloves nor performing hand hygiene between patients! They said that is what they had been instructed to do.
>
>
>
> It will depend on what devices you are using, and whether you actually have to have physical contact with each person, etc. Tympanic temperature readings will probably have the most contact with each person, and thus hand hygiene after each patient contact without gloves being worn would be the most practical. Using a non-touch infrared device will mean the likelihood of having physical contact with patients will be much lower, and gloves could be worn for longer between hand hygiene opportunities.. Certainly not a one-size-fits-all type situation.
>
>
>
> We have thermal scanners at the entrances to our hospitals, and thus no direct contact with most people. If the thermal scanner detects a high temperature, we then take the person aside and perform tympanic readings to verify. In that instance gloves are worn and discarded and hand hygiene performed for each patient.
>
>
>
> Interesting discussion, thanks.
>
>
>
> Cheers
>
> Michael
>
>
>
> Michael Wishart | Infection Control Coordinator, CICP-E
>
>
> St Vincents Private Hospital Northside | 627 Rode Road CHERMSIDE QLD 4032
>
> M +61 448 954 282 | T +61 7 3326 3068 | F +61 7 3607 2226
>
> E michael.wishart@svha.org.au |
>
> W https://www.svphn.org.au
>
>
>
>
> St Vincents Private Hospital Brisbane | 411 Main Street KANGAROO POINT QLD 4169
> M +61 448 954 282 | T +61 7 3240 1208 | F +61 7 3240 1166
> E michael.wishart@svha.org.au |
>
> W https://www.svphb.org.au
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> From: ACIPC Infexion Connexion <ACIPCLIST@ACIPC.ORG.AU > On Behalf Of Crystal Polson
> Sent: Wednesday, 9 September 2020 4:44 PM
> To: ACIPCLIST@ACIPC.ORG.AU
> Subject: [ACIPC_Infexion_Connexion] PPE for Temp Screenings
>
>
>
> Hi all,
>
>
>
> Hope everyone is doing well.
>
>
>
> Just wondering – if your facility is doing temperature screenings, what is your PPE protocol?
>
>
>
> I am in Victoria. Work Safe guidelines mention that gloves and masks should be worn. My question is, how often should the gloves be changed?
>
>
>
> We’re using non-contact forehead thermometers so the screener is not touching the person being screened.
>
>
>
> Cheers
>
> Crystal
>
>
>
> Crystal Polson
>
> Infection Control Coordinator
>
> University of Melbourne
>
> crystal.polson@unimelb.edu.au
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> MESSAGES POSTED TO THIS LIST ARE SOLELY THE OPINION OF THE AUTHOR, AND DO NOT REPRESENT THE OPINION OF ACIPC.
>
> The use of trade/product/commercial brand names through the list is discouraged by ACIPC. If you wish to discuss specific reference to products or services by brand or commercial names, please do this outside the list.
>
> Archive of all messages are available at http://aicalist.org.au/archives – registration and login required.
>
> Replies to this message will be directed back to the list. To create a new message send an email to acipclist@acipc.org.au
> To send a message to the list administrator send an email to admin@acipc.org.au
> You can unsubscribe manually from this list by sending ‘signoff acipclist’ (without the quotes) to listserv@aicalist.org.au
> ______________________________________________________________________
> This email and any attachments to it (the “Email”) is confidential and is for the use only of the intended recipient, and may not be duplicated or used by any other party without the express consent of the sender. If you are not the intended recipient of the Email, please notify the sender immediately by return email, delete the Email, and do not copy, print, retransmit, store or act in reliance on the Email. St Vincent’s Health Australia (“SVHA”) does not guarantee that the Email is free from errors, viruses or interference. Emails to and from SVHA or its related entities may be scanned and filtered in locations outside Australia.
>
>
> ______________________________________________________________________
> This email and any attachments to it (the “Email”) is confidential and is for the use only of the intended recipient, and may not be duplicated or used by any other party without the express consent of the sender. If you are not the intended recipient of the Email, please notify the sender immediately by return email, delete the Email, and do not copy, print, retransmit, store or act in reliance on the Email. St Vincent’s Health Australia (“SVHA”) does not guarantee that the Email is free from errors, viruses or interference. Emails to and from SVHA or its related entities may be scanned and filtered in locations outside Australia.
> MESSAGES POSTED TO THIS LIST ARE SOLELY THE OPINION OF THE AUTHOR, AND DO NOT REPRESENT THE OPINION OF ACIPC.
> The use of trade/product/commercial brand names through the list is discouraged by ACIPC. If you wish to discuss specific reference to products or services by brand or commercial names, please do this outside the list.
>
> Archive of all messages are available at http://aicalist.org.au/archives – registration and login required.
>
> Replies to this message will be directed back to the list. To create a new message send an email to acipclist@acipc.org.au
> To send a message to the list administrator send an email to admin@acipc.org.au
> You can unsubscribe manually from this list by sending ‘signoff acipclist’ (without the quotes) to listserv@aicalist.org.au MESSAGES POSTED TO THIS LIST ARE SOLELY THE OPINION OF THE AUTHOR, AND DO NOT REPRESENT THE OPINION OF ACIPC.
> The use of trade/product/commercial brand names through the list is discouraged by ACIPC. If you wish to discuss specific reference to products or services by brand or commercial names, please do this outside the list.
>
> Archive of all messages are available at http://aicalist.org.au/archives – registration and login required.
>
> Replies to this message will be directed back to the list. To create a new message send an email to acipclist@acipc.org.au
> To send a message to the list administrator send an email to admin@acipc.org.au
> You can unsubscribe manually from this list by sending ‘signoff acipclist’ (without the quotes) to listserv@aicalist.org.au
MESSAGES POSTED TO THIS LIST ARE SOLELY THE OPINION OF THE AUTHOR, AND DO NOT REPRESENT THE OPINION OF ACIPC.
The use of trade/product/commercial brand names through the list is discouraged by ACIPC. If you wish to discuss specific reference to products or services by brand or commercial names, please do this outside the list.
Archive of all messages are available at http://aicalist.org.au/archives – registration and login required.
Replies to this message will be directed back to the list. To create a new message send an email to acipclist@acipc.org.au
To send a message to the list administrator send an email to admin@acipc.org.au
You can unsubscribe manually from this list by sending ‘signoff acipclist’ (without the quotes) to listserv@aicalist.org.au