To free up acute care capacity and reduce the number of patients in the emergency room waiting for a hospital bed, administrators changed the epidemic guidelines in January, two months before the province lifted all public restrictions on COVID-19. As of last week, Shared Health said there are two designated COVID-19 hospital units, one in Winnipeg and one in Brandon. All patients are screened at admission. Those who are positive are grouped together or with patients who have recovered from COVID-19. those with suspected cases of the virus are isolated until the results are confirmed. A statement from Treena Slate, President of Regional Health at Prairie Mountain Health of Acute Care, said patients with active COVID would not be placed with patients who were not infected with the virus. “Patients who have tested positive for COVID but are no longer considered infectious (ie have recovered from COVID) can be transferred to a general unit as needed,” Slate said. “This guidance allows for increased acute care on the spot and is supported by expert advice on infection prevention and control.” Patients with active or suspected COVID infections are not necessarily admitted to designated units, but will be placed according to the provincial guidelines, which can be found here. However, Slate said the Community transmission of COVID has increased in recent weeks and there have been a number of cases at PMH facilities and units at acute care facilities. These facilities will follow epidemic management guidelines to ensure the safe care of patients and to limit the transmission of the virus. When an outbreak is reported in any unit, infection prevention and control procedures are implemented immediately, with measures to monitor staffing levels and increase them if necessary. “All of these measures mitigate the risk of COVID infection for patients receiving care in outpatient units,” he said. The PMH could not confirm where COVID patients were being housed at the Brandon Regional Health Center. On Thursday, a Shared Health spokesman told Winnipeg Free Press that hospitals were not monitoring the number of patients transferred to outpatient facilities. The January 13 guidance issued to health personnel stated that it is not always possible to avoid admitting patients who do not have COVID-19 to areas with cases, especially if these patients need care in a specialist unit. The policy advises health professionals to avoid placing unvaccinated patients, patients over 60 years of age, or patients who are immunosuppressed in focal units due to the increased risk of serious COVID-19 infection. It is also not ideal, the guidance says, to place new patients in units that have unlimited or recently reported outbreaks. Shared Health also reported that patients with active COVID cases were kept separate from patients who had never been infected with the virus but could be kept at a distance in the same unit. The provincial health management agency did not address the January note, but referred to a more detailed protocol, which was updated on March 29, linking to the January 13 guidance. The January note from Shared Health showed a change in practice from previous pandemic protocols aimed at keeping COVID-19-free patients away from active cases. “It should be expected that outbreaks in wards and / or facilities will increase in frequency and cannot be prevented. The approach described here is to allow a staff / patient / resident safety balance while maximizing acute care capacity and allowing continuous “The delivery of complex coordinated care to patients. Acute care facilities can no longer suspend admissions to a growing unit / site,” the January 13 Shared Health note said. This note was issued a day before Prime Minister Heather Stefanson spoke publicly about the need for Manitobans to learn to live with the virus. This policy change is not considered balanced or good for patients, families or staff by the nurses caring for them. In a statement to the Sun, the Manitoba Nurses Association denounced the policy change as another example of Manitoba’s healthcare system failing to manage COVID infections safely and effectively. “With the continued prevalence of COVID throughout the system, Manitoba is no longer able to bring together COVID-19-positive patients in separate units from non-COVIDs,” the statement said. “This poses a significant risk, as COVID remains, despite the wishes and declarations of the government, capable of very serious – and even deadly – results for the immunocompromised and those suffering from other diseases.” Furthermore, the statement states that highly contagious variants of COVID infect an already reduced number of healthcare staff and nurses. The remaining healthy staff should change PPE more often when moving between COVID and non-COVID patients. This creates an unstable workload and further delays in providing timely patient care. The policy change does not reflect what the government has said to the public or frontline staff about their commitment to improving health care in the province, the union said. “Despite the billboards and press releases, in the end, these many Manitobans who need proper health care are the ones who pay the highest price, and this latest change is another in a long series of unpleasant consequences that land on the shoulders of Manitobans and those who take care of them in this broken system. ” The province’s epidemiological report for April 17 to April 23 showed that test-positive rates are increasing for those receiving laboratory-confirmed PCR results. An average of 955 Manitobans a day receive PCR tests and the test rate is 23.4 percent, up from 19 percent a week earlier. -With files from Winnipeg Free Press
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