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Protecting staff from risk
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| Staff screening |
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| Staff education |
Train staff on cardinal symptoms, disease transmission, infection prevention, and control including personal protective equipment donning and doffing.
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| Staff protection |
Fit staff for N95 mask with instruction on when to use. Have enough supplies and equipment, such as masks, gloves, gowns, and respirators. Apply strict rules to eliminate unnecessary visitors to hospitals or clinics. Apply traffic control bundles[2] (designate zones based on infection status such as confirmed infection, suspected cases, and clean cases), with strict rules for patient and staff flow to prevent transmission. Safe working space structure: drive-through screening for patients. Release and/or allow immunocompromised and susceptible employees to work remotely. Establish a clear policy of safe return to work.
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| Social distancing |
Work from home as much as possible. Apply six-feet rule. Avoid crowding in certain areas (e.g., cafeterias). Switch to virtual meetings using a Web-based meeting platform.
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| Staff clustering |
Minimize number of staff working. Minimal or no overlapping in duties that require physical presence in same area or dealing with same patients. Same minimal team members see the same patients.
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Enabling staff to do their job well
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| Communication |
Clear transparent communication with frequent updates on the status of the disease and expectations of staff behavior. Avoid flooding staff with too much information at one time. Have a central link or Web site that employees can access to get timely updates at times most convenient for them. Have clear Web sites with required resources.
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| Essential requirements |
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| Staff shortage |
Cancel all nonemergency leave in the early phase of crisis, then ration leaves according to the situation. People off duty remain on standby. Minimize nonclinical meetings. Use virtual technology for meetings. Seek external staffing from less affected areas.
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| Adaptation of roles |
Work from home, if feasible. Use virtual technology for care and communications. Adjust care model to provide more care outside the healthcare facility. Incorporate infection control measures into work process.
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Supporting staff to maintain their well-being
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| Adherence to infection prevention and control practice |
Establish a policy related to the safe return to work. Vaccination (flu vaccination). Hand hygiene. Personal protective equipment (PPE). Same intervention in first category which all aim to protect staff from getting exposed to infections.
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| Staff well-being |
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| Acknowledgment |
Recognition and appreciation from leaders to staff. Listen to staff and keep them involved. Ensure a no-blame culture to reduce feelings of guilt from any staff who have been infected or unable to work due to pregnancy or being immunocompromised.
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