Guidance for Physicians & Teams

Infection, Prevention & Control

• 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

Staged Resumption of Diagnostic Imaging and Some Ambulatory Care

• AHS and Covenant Health have resumed some ambulatory care and diagnostic imaging (DI) services. Decisions on which exams, procedures and appointments will proceed are being made at the zone level. Patients will be either contacted by a clinic or instructed to use online assessment tools.

Resuming Ambulatory Care

• Ambulatory care activity will vary by area and type of service. The scope of services includes some adult and pediatric hospital and community-based ambulatory care services, including:
  • Visits: Specialty and sub-specialty medical, surgical, women’s health, public health, addiction and mental health, and allied health services (dental, physiotherapists, speech language pathologists, respiratory therapists, audiologists, social workers, occupational therapists, dietitians, and pharmacists)
  • Ambulatory procedures: Advanced venous access, bronchoscopy, cystoscopy, endoscopy, hyperbaric oxygen therapy, women’s health (colposcopy, loop electrosurgical excision procedure, laser therapy), cardiac interventional services (catheterization lab and electrophysiology), allied health and rehabilitation services (diagnostic swallowing assessments, physiotherapy, etc.), electroconvulsive therapy
  • Tests: Electrocardiogram, echocardiography, interventional radiology, cardiac testing, sleep testing, electromyography, electroencephalogram, urodynamics
• In most cases, virtual care will continue as appopriate.

Resuming Diagnostic Imaging

• We will be resuming some scheduled DI examinations. DI Services will resume in a staged approach:
  • Stage 2 – June
    • Deferred routine (P3) requests using the original appointment date to reschedule
    • Book new referrals for routine exams based on capacity
    • Use of the mobile MR will restart operations
  • Stage 3 – TBD
    • Ongoing efforts to revert back to pre-pandemic activity level
    • Begin implementation of a plan for CT and MRI
• Prioritization will be given to patients requiring DI exams for scheduled surgeries or urgent ambulatory care.

Resumption of Some Scheduled, Elective, Overnight and Short-stay Surgeries

• AHS resumed some scheduled day surgeries and expanded surgical capacity by resuming some overnight and short-stay surgeries in all five zones.
• Decisions on which surgeries proceed are based on clinical need, with those most in need and waiting longest being booked first. These decisions are being made at the zone level.
• Patients will be contacted directly when it is time to receive their surgery.
• We will continue to ensure emergent and urgent surgeries are maintained, while steadily increasing the number of surgeries.

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.
• 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

• 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