FHS Covid-19 Handbook
Clinical Sites
This section applies to those FHS students working in the clinical space, as student practitioners and members of the health care team to which they are allocated during clinical rotations.
This COVID-19 pandemic is causing considerable anxiety among communities worldwide. Health sciences students and professionals are not immune to this anxiety, in particular for working in the clinical setting. Comfort and strength can be drawn, however, from applying principles of professionalism and ethics to define own behaviour and attitudes during these difficult times. To this end, the FHS Professionalism and Ethics committee has developed a set of principles that can be helpful to staff and students alike.
Click here for Clinical Students in COVID-19 Crisis 2020 (PESC)
Click here for link to Hastings Center and Steve Biko Centre for Bioethics principles
The Wits FHS students are hosted at a wide variety of clinical sites, within the tertiary, secondary, district and community settings. As a member of the health care team, It is critically important that each student adheres to the rules and guidelines in place at their allocated site. While the Faculty prefers students to be allocated to non-COVID and/or low-risk settings, there is no restriction for students to learn in one setting or another. The emphasis is rather on students' adopting the appropriate mindset to infection prevention and control, and to own risk at any time. This approach should manifest in the correct practices and behaviours, not least of which is the proper wearing of PPE.
Healthcare facilities differ in how they organise their COVID-19-related services. Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital, for example, has colour-coded zones within the hospital/clinical setting to provide for COVID-19 screening (yellow zone), COVID-19 treatment (red zone) and general management of patients with normal hospital/clinical services (green zone). The PHC facilities in Johannesburg Metro are using a yellow, blue and orange color-coded zone arrangement. However, the principles are largely the same:
|
RISK |
HOSPITAL (CMJAH) |
CHCs/CLINICS/ District Hospital |
|
Patients waiting to enter facility, COVID-19 screening area (Indeterminate Risk) |
Yellow Zone |
Yellow Zone |
|
Patients screened asymptomatic for COVID-19 (Low Risk) |
Green Zone |
Blue Zone |
|
Patients screened symptomatic, suggestive of COVID-19 (High Risk) |
Red Zone |
Orange Zone |
|
Patients tested positive for COVID-19 (High Risk) |
||
|
Specimen collection for COVID-19 and/or AGP setting |
HOSPITAL AND CLINIC ZONES FOR PATIENT LOCATION, RISK & PPE
Clinical students will be placed in both low risk and high risk clinical areas with likely contact with COVID-19 positive patients as the number of COVID-19 patient case numbers continues to increase in South Africa. Preceptor and students agree for this clinical placement with proper PPE training, provision of appropriate PPE for patient encounter and patient procedure, as well as Preceptor supervision as needed, following guidelines. The clinical facility should provide appropriate PPE to students as required.
Students must wear at minimum a surgical mask in the clinical areas and cloth mask in the non-clinical areas at all times. This includes in the break room/tea room. Hand hygiene, social distancing and use of a mask at all times reduce risk of transmission. When taking breaks, find a quite place, find an empty area to eat food as your mask will be removed during this time. Have 1.5 to 2 meters apart from another person if eating food to limit possible transmission of the virus.
LINKS TO RELEVANT HOSPITAL AND CLINIC GUIDELINES
COVID-19 Primary Care Facility Preparedness Guide (FINAL 6 May update)
COVID-19 Hospital Facility Preparedness Guide
CHBAH Infection Prevention Controls PPE recommendation COVID-19 6 June