Type of Intervention: Regulation
Sectors Involved: Health
Intervention Categories: Individual measures; Planning and strategy; Creation of or release of plans
Level of Jurisdiction: Ontario
Lead People/Agency: Ontario government and the province’s Chief Medical Officer of Health
Made in consultation with Ontario Nurses Association (ONA) and Ontario Hospital Association (OHA)
Must be implemented in hospitals
Overview: The Ontario government and Chief Medical Officer of Health issued a directive on the health and safety standards for frontline hospital nurses to prevent exposure to and transmission of COVID-19. The directive outlines precautions for interactions with suspected, presumed, or confirmed cases, including relying on nurses’ clinical education and training, point-of-care risk assessments for every patient interaction to determine appropriate health and safety measures, and training on safe use of personal protective equipment (PPE).
Full details here: https://news.ontario.ca/mohltc/en/2020/03/ontario-increasing-health-and-safety-measures-to-better-protect-frontline-nurses-from-covid-19.html
Type of Justification: Advice of INTERNAL government advisory committee or group, Advice of EXTERNAL expert advisor or advisory committee
Source of Evidence or Justification: Sub-national, Chief Medical Officer of Health; Sub-national, Ontario Nurses Association; Sub-national, Ontario Hospital Association; Sub-national, frontline nurses, public health experts, and hospital leaders
Evidence/Justification: This directive was developed by Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health, in consultation with the Ontario Nurses Association and Ontario Hospital Association. The standards developed to offer nurses greater protection against COVID-19 were developed with the guidance of clinically trained frontline nurses, hospital leaders, and public health experts. The justification for the policy is to ensure nurses are protected so they can safely provide the best care for patients.