Guidance for Physicians & Teams

Infection, Prevention & Control

• Community Physician COVID-19 Screening and Testing Algorithm
• Patient Refusal to Wear Face Coverings during COVID-19
• Contact & Droplet Precautions for Isolation Rooms
• Environmental Cleaning Guidelines 
• Masking Guidance in Community Physician Settings during COVID-19 
• IPC Emerging Issues
• Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) - Information and supports to help care providers use PPE appropriately and confidently

Patient Care

• Guideline for Monitoring and Managing COVID-19 Patients in Community
• List of Current Provincial Care Algorithms / Pathways
• Prescription Medications for Community Patients with COVID-19 - Recommendations for community primary care physicians and pharmacists
• Palliative & End-of-Life Care List of Resources

Testing Information

• Information on Current Testing Criteria (Government of Alberta)
• COVID-19 Collection Kit Guidance
• COVID-19 Requisition or Serology & Molecular Testing Requisition
• Latest Laboratory Bulletins

Resources for Your Practice

• Daily Fit for Work Screening
• Return to Work Guide for Community Physicians & Teams
• Signs & Posters 
• Providing Clinical Services at Multiple Sites
• Language Line Interpretation Services
• Providing Virtual Care (Alberta Medical Association) - Information on privacy and billing codes. Resources include webinars, virtual care tools and a workflow algorithm

Emerging Evidence

• Scientific Advisory Group COVID-19 Recommendations - Emerging evidence and guidance for focused areas of healthcare in relation to COVID-19

Resumption of Health Services

Diagnostic Imaging and Ambulatory Clinic Services

• Alberta Health Services (AHS) and Covenant Health have resumed Diagnostic Imaging (DI) and Ambulatory Clinic services.
• During the early part of the pandemic, we saw a planned reduction in “in person” patients seen in DI services across the zones by up to approximately 60 per cent with a commensurate increase in virtual visits.
• Patients attending a scheduled appointment will receive a pre-screening phone call to assess fitness to attend appointments and will be given instruction for attendance based on provincial public health guidelines. In cases where patients cannot be reached, they will be screened upon arrival for their appointments. Patients attending appointments for Ambulatory Care or DI will also need to follow the AHS visitor guidelines.
• We are making every effort to contact Albertans who had their in person visits and procedures delayed during the COVID-19 pandemic to discuss re-scheduling options.

Surgical Recovery Plan

AHS is currently operating at 88 per cent of pre-COVID-19 surgical activity and will increase this activity as part of a Surgical Recovery Plan developed and aligned with the Alberta Surgical Initiative (ASI).

• AHS postponed all non-urgent, scheduled surgeries in March to free up hospital beds in advance of an expected surge in patients with COVID-19. Some of these postponed activities resumed in May.
• Working in partnership with Alberta Health with this Surgical Recovery Plan, we are ensuring patients and families receive the surgery they need, when they need it, according to best practices and target benchmarks.
• The plan can be adjusted, as necessary, to help the health system respond to potential increased health system demand caused by COVID-19.
• Safety is the utmost priority and increases in surgery activity will happen providing it is safe and appropriate to do so.
• We will continue to ensure emergent and urgent surgeries are maintained while steadily increasing the number of surgeries, balancing the safety of patients and staff with the need to resume surgeries for Albertans waiting for care.
• Decisions on which surgeries proceed are based on clinical need and those being most in need and waiting longest being booked first. These decisions are being made at the zone level, and are also informed by the pandemic response in different parts of the province.
• Patients will be contacted directly when it is time to receive their surgery.

Staged Resumption of Lab Services

• Alberta Precision Laboratories’ Patient Service Centres and collection locations are currently able to operate at approximately 70 per cent of pre-pandemic capacity.
• Due to current demands on the province’s laboratories, please encourage patients to book routine lab work as early as possible.
• Local community and site memos outline hours of operation, details on appointment bookings and availability of any special collection options available. Patient Instruction Sheets will accompany local memos.
• More information in this laboratory bulletin.
• Fecal Immunochemical Testing (FIT) has resumed. It is recommended for patients aged 50-74. Patients should be advised to bring their requisition and pick up their FIT kits at their nearest PSC/PCC or in rural areas, patients can obtain the FIT kit at their local lab facility.

Allied Health Services

• The Government of Alberta has announced a plan to lift some restrictions on some allied health services.
• Dental and other regulated healthcare workers such as physiotherapists, speech language pathologists, respiratory therapists, audiologists, social workers, occupational therapists, dietitians and more can resume services as long as they follow approved guidelines set by their professional colleges.

Information to Give Patients

• Return to School Resources for Parents: Government of Alberta | Alberta Health Services
• Information for People Visiting Residents & Patients
• COVID-19 Care Instructions
• COVID-19 Patient Resources
• How to Manage COVID-19 Symptoms
• Resources for Specific Health Conditions
• Self-isolation Information
• Rehabilitation Advice Line
• Community Resources - 211 Alberta
• Mental Health Supports for Patients: Encourage patients and colleagues who are struggling to reach out to the provider or mental health professional they usually receive care from, including but not limited to their family doctor, counsellor, therapist, psychologist, nurse/nurse practitioner or social worker. Albertans can also call the Mental Health Helpline at 1-877-303-2642 for 24/7 assistance. Additionally, AHS has resources and services—Help in Tough Times, including Text4Hope, available to help.

Hospital Transitions to Community for COVID-19 Patients

The following resources outline how acute and primary care can work together to safely transition COVID-19 patients from home into hospital and back home. Resources were developed based on Alberta’s new Home to Hospital to Home Transitions Guideline and help ensure continuity of care.

Some processes may require customization and will vary by zone. Check with your local ZEOC or PCN for clarification on what may be happening in your zone.

Follow-up to community physicians at discharge:

• Provincial Pandemic Flowsheet: Patient Discharge from Hospital
• Safe Discharge Home Checklist
• Safe Discharge Checklist Appendices
• My Discharge Checklist (patient resource)

Other resources for safe transitions:

• Transitions Checklist for Primary Care (Alberta Medical Association)
• Provincial Home to Hospital To Home Transitions Guideline