covid 19 protocol

With the realities of covid in our present healthcare landscape, the practitioners of The Osteo’s Path continue to stay dedicated to providing a safe environment for patients by keeping up-to-date and following all procedures and protocols as recommended by the Ministry of Health, Public Health and our Osteopathic Association. Below are considerations patients should take prior to making or coming to an appointment:

• Patients with Symptoms (or those with no symptoms but have been positively diagnosed with Covid-19), Patients returning from travel outside of Ontario (within the last 2-weeks) and/or Patients who have been in contact with those who are sick and/or are experiencing concerning symptoms - anyone who has any 'flu-like' and/or other concerning symptoms, or have been in contact with someone of same (regardless of whether you are currently experiencing symptoms), especially: fever, chills, shortness of breath/ difficulty breathing, new and/or worsening fatigue/ aches/ pains; sore throat/ persistent cough, diarrhea, headache, pink eye (conjunctivitis), recent loss of taste and/or smell, a recent unexplained rash and/or discolouration of fingers or toes, chest pain/ pressure, or other concerning symptoms please do not come to your scheduled appointment. It is recommended you please contact your primary health care practitioner if you have any ‘covid concerns'. If you are unsure as to whether you fall under this category, please feel free to contact your osteopathic practitioner to discuss/ cancel your appointment, and/or please contact your primary healthcare practitioner. When in any doubt, please make a phone call to inquire rather than just 'showing up'.

• Bathrooms - we ask that patients use a trusted bathroom facility (i.e. home, work, etc.) prior to coming for your appointment. Thank you!

• Masks, Gloves & Hand Sanitizer - it is recommended that you please wear a mask for your appointment. If you do not have a mask, your practitioner will have disposable masks available for your immediate use. Your practitioner will be wearing a surgical/ procedural mask and/or visor/ goggles, for your protection. If you are unable to wear a mask for some reason, please contact your practitioner before your appointment to discuss - one of the new healthcare guidelines asks ALL patients (over the age of 2 years) to wear a mask for their appointments (this is additionally important for osteopathic appointments as we must be closer than the recommended physical distancing guidelines of 6-ft). Hand sanitizer & nitrile gloves will also be available for immediate use upon request.

• Patient Screening including Temperature & O2 Saturation measurement - all patients at every visit will be required to go through a thorough screening process upon arrival. Verbal checklist and visual assessment as well as having temperature taken with an infrared touchless forehead thermometer and oxygen saturation will be measured with a finger O2 monitor. Please Note: Patients with temperature of 38°C or higher and/or O2 Saturation lower than 95% will be requested to check in with their primary healthcare practitioner and your immediate appointment will need to be rescheduled (once you have been medically cleared to return). Thank you for your understanding! Your Osteopathic Practitioner performs screening on themselves daily and in an ongoing basis to ensure patient and practitioner well-being.

• Please arrive precisely for your scheduled appointment time - the Clinic doors will remain locked until your scheduled appointment. Please do not arrive early as the previously dedicated 'waiting areas' will not be available due to physical distancing requirements. Waiting in your car or going for a short walk are good alternatives should you arrive early! Please also make every effort to arrive on time for your appointment (i.e. account for traffic, parking, public transit, etc.) - if you arrive later than 5 minutes after your appointment start time, your appointment will need to be rescheduled and full payment will be required for the 'missed' appointment. As always, 24-48 hours notice minimum is required for appointment cancellation (except, of course, due to emergency or if you have developed concerning symptoms). Please Note: due to latest Covid-19 healthcare requirements, Practitioners are not able to book the same amount of people daily so we need to make the most out of our daily hours - thank you in advance for your consideration!

• Single Patient Appointment times - where possible, please come to your appointment alone (if you require assistance to come to your appointment, please let your practitioner know and we will accommodate as needed!). If someone is driving you or if you book more than one appointment with another family member(s), please coordinate your appointment times appropriately. As mentioned previously, the 'waiting room' is no longer available due to physical distancing requirements. Waiting in your car or going for a short walk while the other person is having their appointment are good alternatives!

• ALL appointments will be booked in 30-minute time increments - 15-minutes are scheduled in between each appointment to ensure your safety between patients as well as appropriate time for practitioners to clean/ disinfect all 'touch-points'. It is important for us to remain within the appointed time increments, so while your practitioner generally enjoys chatting during osteopathic visits, please help us stay within our allotted time for everyone’s benefit and safety - Thank you! When more than one Practitioner is working on the same days, we are all doing our best to follow the same healthcare mandates and stagger appointment start times to minimize patient interaction. If you do happen to see other patients within the clinic, please ensure that you maintain physical distancing standards of 6-ft/2-metres and please minimize touching of surfaces within the clinic space.

• Covid-19 Pre-Screening & Waiver Document - it is important to note that for every appointment a thorough pre-screening is part of appointment process. For an initial appointment back, patients will be required to go through a verbal pre-screening over the phone or online (please check with your practitioner what their process is) with you as well as prior to entry into the clinic at the beginning of your appointment. Once complete, you will need to sign that this procedure was followed and that any questions you might have were answered to your satisfaction. You can find a downloadable pdf of a pre-screening questionnaire/ waiver here. Please feel free to use this as a pre-screening check-list at any time, particularly when you are unsure of your current health status. Please Note: this waiver states that while we are following all healthcare regulations for safe practice, and attempting to do everything that we can to ensure your health and safety (including against the Covid-19 virus) that you understand the inherent risks of coming to your appointment and that we cannot guarantee you will not be exposed to any virus at any given point. If you have any questions or concerns on this (or any) point, please feel free to contact your practitioner prior to your appointment.

• Appointment Payment - where possible, please consider touchless or 'tap' payment for your appointments, thank you!

The practitioners of the Osteo’s Path hope for everyone to stay safe & keep healthy! We hope to see you soon