MAKE SURE YOUR WAITING ROOM IS NOT MAKING PATIENTS SICK
As a medical practitioner, you understand the importance of cleaning and disinfection. As a business owner, you understand the importance of patient perception and first impressions. You know that when it comes to the success of your health care practice a clean waiting room is essential.
Most respectable medical clinics make every effort to ensure a clean and sanitary environment for their staff and patients and they have cleaning protocols in place to achieve this goal. Still, according to Halifax health-care consultant Mary Jane Hampton, “The doctor’s waiting room is a sea of pestilence”.
Despite their good intentions and honest effort, the fact remains that patient waiting rooms are a hotbed for bacteria. Everything from doorknobs and coffee machines to furniture and magazines has the potential to spread germs. And in an environment that is frequented by individuals who are often sick, the viral load in a doctor’s waiting room can be immense.
So, how do you as a medical practitioner help ensure a clean and sanitary waiting room for your patients? Here are some helpful tips:
Enforce a Continuous Cleaning Regimen
Whether you employ the services of a day porter or assign a staff member, enforcing a continuous cleaning regimen can greatly reduce the spread of germs in your practice. A day porter or cleaning personnel should be on hand to regularly sanitize high-touch surfaces throughout the waiting room including doorknobs, furniture, restrooms, and reception areas.
Encourage Good Hygiene
Providing touchless hand sanitizer dispensers and masks allows patients the opportunity to manage their own hygiene and reduces the spread of germs. Posting signage reminding people to social distance and cough into the crook of their arm helps to encourage good hygiene as well.
Give Your Patients Room To Social Distance
A waiting room with rows of chairs placed side by side forces patients to congregate. If space allows, you should provide seating options that encourage social distancing. You may even consider limiting occupancy to a few patients at a time or offering a call-back system to contact patients when they are ready to be seen.
Limit Shared Items
Children’s toys, magazines, books, and other shared items are a great way to spread germs and should be removed from the waiting area. Consider placing a couple of televisions in the waiting room to keep patients occupied or offering semi-secluded work areas with wi-fi and charging stations.
Daily Deep Cleaning
Employing the services of a medical facility cleaning service is one of the best ways to ensure a clean and sanitary medical practice. Daily deep cleanings by a team of professionals will ensure that your practice starts each day fully cleaned and sanitized. In addition, a professional cleaning service can also ensure that supplies like hand sanitizers, bath tissues, and paper towels are fully stocked each day.
