Home health care nurses don’t have to wear masks, but why?
— State officials recommend that home health nurses and at-home hospice workers learn to how wear masks, gloves and other protective gear correctly. But the Ohio Department of Health does not requiring them to wear the gear while making visits during the coronavirus crisis.
Some Ohioans worry that nurses could serve as transmitters of the disease as they travel from home to home, visiting ill or elderly patients. Even if these health care workers are not showing symptoms of COVID-19, they could have the virus and spread it.
People over the age of 65 are especially vulnerable to the coronavirus, which is spread through respiratory droplets, such as by coughing and sneezing.
Wearing a surgical mask helps keep these droplets in when you’re already sick, but they can’t filter out germs. Another kind of mask, called an N-95, can do that when fitted and used correctly.
These masks are in short supply, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say all masks should be used only by people with confirmed cases of COVID19 who are showing symptoms, or the health care workers caring for coronavirus patients.
The Ohio Department of Health did not respond to questions about why home health care nurses, who travel among vulnerable populations, and could potentially transmit the disease, aren’t lumped into this category, too.
The state recommends healthcare and in-home hospice workers take other precautions. They should call patients ahead of appointments to make sure they haven’t displayed symptoms of the coronavirus. They should stay home if they’re sick, and follow proper handwashing techniques. They’re also being asked to tell patients to limit contact with people who are sick and post signs on the door that ill people shouldn’t come in.
Other state recommendations for home health care workers and COVID19 include several common-sense tips, already recommended the general public:
■ Avoid contact with sick individuals
■ Get adequate sleep and eat well balanced meals
■ Wash hands often for 20 seconds with soap and water, dry with a clean towel or air-dry your hands
■ Cover your mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze
■ Avoid touching your nose, eyes and mouth with unwashed hands after touching surfaces
■ Clean and disinfect hightouch surfaces
■ Call before visiting your doctor
■ Practice good hygiene