It Was Bound To Happen Sooner or Later
This week, we had a patient come in with a temperature of 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit. For those of you who don't know, that is the cut-off temperature for increasing the likelihood of someone having Covid-19.
What should we do? Do we tell him to leave? Do we ignore it since it was on the line? Do we call the health department, cuff him, and wait for the authorities to arrive (that might be a little awkward for the rest of the patients in the office)?
The A Team Comes Through!
At last week's staff meetin,g we noted that it was starting to get warmer outside and that it was likely that folks could come in with a slightly elevated temperature. We reviewed and reworked our policy on what to do if that was the case:
- If someone comes in with a temperature of 100. 4 or higher, escort the patient to either a treatment room or exam room and explain that you are going to have them sit for a few minutes and then re-take their temperature.
- Wait 3-5 minutes and repeat the scan. If the temperature has dropped below 100.3, they may continue on with normal care.
- If it stays elevated, keep the patient in the room they are in and notify the doctor immediately.
- The doctor will then interview the patient and determine the next step.
There are a variety of reasons someone may have an elevated temperature and not all Covid-19 patients present with a fever. If it appears that someone is matching other criteria or risk factors, we dismiss them to their medical doctors for further evaluation and testing. This policy and procedure is in the best interests of the individual patient and all others in our facility. Since no one knows when this whole thing is going to resolve, we will likely be following this procedure for the foreseeable future.
We have the best staff of any chiropractic office in Lafayette, bar none! I stand by that 100%! By the time I saw the patient in question, they had isolated him and checked his temperature twice!
"You Handled That Professionally"
These were the words "Overheard in The Office This Week" spoken by my patient as we talked before his adjustment. He went on to say what a great staff we had and how much he appreciated the way they conducted themselves. I couldn't have agreed more!
The good news? His temperature had dropped down nicely and I quickly found out why: It was such a nice day he had the top down on his convertible on the way to our office! Now that is a fun way to spike a fever!
Yours in Health,
Care Chiropractic
Lafayette, Indiana