Booking Clients
In addition to infection prevention and control measures, clinics must rethink how they operate and overall client management. This includes the scheduling of appointments, pre-screening, physical distancing, client treatment options, practitioner adaptations, and clinic–employee responsibilities.
While client bookings and schedules are at the discretion of the practitioner, schedules will be monitored for overlapping clients and rectified by the clinic. Practitioners and the clinic will work together to ensure schedules are satisfactory.
At a minimum, chiropractic and physiotherapy will schedule treatments followed by a 10-minute break; massage therapy and acupuncture will schedule treatments followed by a 30-minute break to allow time for cleaning.
Clients will be actively screened by email 3 days prior to their appointment, as per the CMTNB guidelines, and documented in their charts. Symptomatic patients will be rescheduled for a later date and rescreened prior to their appointment. When booking clients, clients will be reminded by phone or email that they will be actively screened upon arrival and that they need to wear a mask to enter the clinic. We are not allowing any symptomatic clients into the building at this time.
Clients’ underlying health issues should be taken into consideration when booking, and ensure that these clients are booked first-thing in the morning without any other practitioners/staff to reduce exposure. Clients working in higher-risk professions (e.g., healthcare) should be booked at the end of the day when possible.
Other visitors: Any other person who is not a client or staff entering the building must be logged in to the Visitor’s Log, with Day/Time In/Out along with contact information, with the understanding that they may be contacted in the case of a positive COVID-19 transmission in the clinic.
Day of AppointmentClients will only be allowed into the clinic at their scheduled appointment time by their practitioner. Only one client will be allowed in the reception area at a time. Schedules will be staggered so that it is unlikely that clients will overlap. The front door will be locked at all times, except to let a client in or out. In the unlikely event that more than one person is waiting at the front door, people are asked to form a line for entry, with 2 metres apart from each other. Clients requiring assistance or guardianship can have only one other person accompany them.
Clients will enter wearing a mask. If they do not, we will provide a mask. If they return with no mask the second visit, they will be charged $5 for a new mask. If they return a third time with no mask, they will be provided a mask and not be re-booked. Clients will wash their hands in the front bathroom immediately upon entry.
Prior to treatment, clients will be screened in reception with the same prescreening questions. If they answer YES to any of the questions, their treatment will be rescheduled. If they answer NO to all the questions, their treatment can performed, and the client and their practitioner should go immediately to their treatment room.
After the treatment, clients should wash their hands upon exiting the treatment room, and proceed with payment and rebooking in reception. Tap/contactless payments are the preferred option, but we also will do e-transfers and cash as needed.
The practitioner/receptionist should open the door for clients to exit, then lock the door after them.
Practitioners' Cleaning and Safety Guidelines Practitioners must adhere to their regulatory college’s guidelines for PPE. They must wear a mask in all common areas (reception, washrooms, laundry) when other people are present. They must wear a mask when with clients in their treatment room. Practitioners must wash their hands immediately before every treatment, and washed or sanitized during a treatment after contact with the practitioner’s face, hair, mask, or other suspect material. Protocols and guidelines for treatment should be adhered to based on the practitioner’s regulatory college.
After every treatment, practitioners must clean and disinfect the table, face cradle, pillows, bolsters, bottles, and all surfaces that have come in contact with a client or practitioner, including instruments (electroacupuncture machine, laser, reflex hammer), used needle containers, music devices, computers, door knobs, chairs, client’s table, and mirror. The floor and doorways should be cleaned at least twice a day. Cups must be disinfected as per Cupping Canada guidelines. When feasible, windows should be opened to allow air flow from the outside. (Windows must be shut at night prior to the practitioner leaving the clinic.) Sheets, lab coats, face cradle covers, blankets, and pillowcases all must be laundered after every client. Hands must be washed after touching dirty laundry, and prior to touching clean laundry. They must also be washed prior to setting up the treatment room for the next client.