Isolation and phone contact only: GPS given advice on treating suspected virus patients
DOCTORS have been told to place suspected coronavirus patients in isolation and only talk to them via telephone.
Guidance released to GPS by Public Health England amid the global spread of Wuhan novel coronavirus (WN-COV) said people thought to be suffering symptoms should be discouraged from visiting clinics and surgeries.
If they do arrive with flu-like symptoms, having travelled from China in the past fortnight, doctors have been told to put them in isolation immediately and avoid a physical examination.
Instead they should take details of symptoms by talking to the patient via telephone from outside of the room. If coronavirus is suspected when a consultation is already in progress, doctors have been advised to withdraw immediately, close the door and wash their hands. The advice says the deadly virus is currently most likely to affect those who have recently returned from Wuhan in China, the seat of the outbreak.
The guidance states: “An unwell patient with a relevant travel history should be identified when they book in at reception and placed in a room away from other patients and staff.
“Avoid physical examination of a suspected case. The patient should remain in the room with the door closed. Belongings and waste should remain in the room. Advise others not to enter the room. If a clinical history still needs to be obtained or completed, do this by telephone. The patient should not be allowed to use communal toilet facilities.
“If a patient calls a surgery with suspected symptoms, they should not be invited to the surgery. Instead, a local infection specialist at hospital should be informed. If the patient is critically ill and requires an ambulance to hospital, inform the ambulance call handler of the concerns about (coronavirus).
“Patients with suspected coronavirus should be told not to use public transport or taxis to get to hospital.”
The World Health Organisation said there was evidence some health workers in China had contracted the virus.
The UK is one of the first countries to develop a test for coronavirus and results can come back in as little as 24 hours. The NHS said it was ready to respond to any cases.
Anyone confirmed as having the virus would be transferred to an Airborne High Consequences Infectious Disease centre (HCID). According to PHE, there are four interim airborne HCID centres in England – two in London, one in Liverpool and one in Newcastle.
The UK continued to monitor direct flights arriving from China as a precautionary measure. Passengers were handed leaflets and advice on what to do if they developed symptoms and a PHE health team was on standby at Heathrow. Direct flights from Wuhan had been stopped.