I. Patients with symptoms of influenza will be triaged and evaluated by healthcare providers at the units using definitions in Policy 3.1 Screening Policy for Persons with a Possible Emerging Infectious Disease (EID).
II. Patients who meet the case definition of an EID and who are ill enough to require hospitalization will be transported to Hospital Galveston for direct admission.
III. Patients will be transported directly to the Sally Port at Hospital Galveston.
IV. All personnel (healthcare workers and correctional officers)
who accompany the patient from the transport vehicle in the
Sally Port to a negative-pressure isolation room in the
hospital will wear ABP (All Barrier Precautions) personal
protective equipment (PPE). See Policy 3.2 Isolation of
Patients with an Emerging Infectious Disease (EID) or a
Possible EID.
A. Fit-tested N-95 mask
B. Goggles
C. Gown
D. Gloves
V. Isolation of Patients with an EID
A. Until an EID is diagnosed in a patient with a suspected
EID, no other patient may share the room.
B. Patients with a confirmed EID may share a negative
pressure isolation room.
C. Healthcare workers and correctional officers who enter the
room of an EID patient will wear ABP PPE.
D. All other EID policies apply to care of patients in the TDCJ
Hospital Galveston.
VI. Protection of Correctional Officers
E. Correctional officers will be trained in the use of ABP PPE.
F. Everyday that correctional officers have contact with EID patients, they will enter their name and contact information on the contact sheet on the door to the patients’ rooms or on the front of the patients’ charts.
G. Correctional officers who have contact with EID patients will take their temperature twice a day and will be called by the Employee Health Service daily until 10 days after their last contact with a SARS patient or 7 days after their last contact with an avian influenza patient. (See Policy 3.9 Post Exposure Monitoring of UTMB Employees for an Emerging Infectious Disease (EID).
VII. Imaging studies for patients in the TDCJ Hospital Galveston will be conducted according to Policy 3.4 Imaging Studies for Patients with an Emerging Infectious Disease (EID) except that all studies that can be performed in the X-ray department in the TDCJ Hospital Galveston will be performed there. For imaging studies not available in the TDCJ Hospital, patients will be transported to the UTMB Department of Radiology.
VIII. Patients will be transported according to Policy 3.3 Transportation of Patients with an Emerging Infectious Disease (EID) or a Possible EID.
A. One of the two elevators in the TDCJ Hospital will be restricted to patients with an EID.
B. Correctional Officers who accompany patients to the free world will don ABP PPE prior to contact with patients. This will include goggles, N-95 mask, 2 gowns and 2 pairs of gloves. Patients will be placed on a stretcher or in a wheelchair and transported according to policy 3.3 Transportation of Patients with an Emerging Infectious Disease (EID) or a possible EID.
IX. Surgical operations for patients n the TDCJ Hospital Galveston
A. Patients will be transported as described in VII above.
B. Correctional officers who accompany patients to the Operating Rooms will first don a surgical cap prior to donning N-95 masks, goggles, gown and gloves.
C. After the patient has been moved into the operating room, the correctional officer will remove his/her gloves, wash hands with an antimicrobial soap and water or apply an alcohol hand gel and then don a new pair of gloves.
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