How to get prepared to go back to work

May 8, 2020

First and foremost, we’d like to again say how proud we are of the dental community for coming together to get through the uncertain times that have been brought to us through COVID-19 pandemic. The past couple months have been extremely hard on all of us and we can confidently say that we’ve found hope and contentment within our amazing community, despite these unprecedented circumstances. Much of that hope has come from ADHA’s recent article with guidelines on how to get back into our operatories safely.

By now, we are sure all of you have read, or at least looked over the ADHA Interim Guidelines on Returning to Work. Right now you might be having team meetings with your doctors and we want to stress how important it is to come to those meetings PREPARED. In this blog we will highlight topics and questions we feel should be discussed thoroughly before returning to work. Please note, this is an outline overview and we insist you not only read, but study the ADHA Guidelines in depth, so that you are as prepared as possible when you’re able to return to work.

Dental babes, let’s stay healthy, stay safe and return to work prepared….

First and foremost, you should always follow CDC guidelines and check for updates from both the CDC and ADHA.

General Protocol:

Will employees be tested for COVID?
What if an employee gets COVID, what is the plan?
How will patients enter the building?
Will patients temperature be taken?
Will employees temperature be taken?
Is there any additional paperwork for patients to review?
What are other dentists doing?

Inventory:

How much PPE do we have now?
How long will this PPE last us?
How long will it take to get new PPE?
How many patients can we see per day with the supplies we have?

PPE:

What types of masks do we have?
What are we required to wear? Face shields, hair caps, gowns, etc?
What masks will we use for non-critical tasks?
Are any masks counter fit? (ask your local rep for a list of what to look for)
What gets disposed and what is cleaned and reused?
What do we do about shoe-ware?
What does the patient wear?

Procedure Protocol:

Are patients to wash their hands or use sanitizer upon arriving?
What rooms are we using?
Are we using air filtration systems?
Are we using waiting rooms, reception area?
What is the disinfection process?

We hope for everyone to return to work comfortably and safely. Again, the ADHA Interim Guidelines to return to work safely should be read, understood, and studied, here:

https://www.adha.org/resources-docs/ADHA_TaskForceReport.pdf

If you have any questions, we encourage you to reach out to ADHA directly, go over the CDC guidelines and speak with the team at your practice.

Stay healthy, stay safe, and stand your ground.