COVID-19 Instructions

Dear Patients and Friends, 

We truly hope that this finds you and your families well. 

For more than 10 weeks, based on the recommendations and mandate from public health officials and our regulatory body, our practice had only provided emergency and urgent care to our valued patients. 

There are now signs that the community spread of COVID–19 is on the decline. With that the public health restrictions easing, they are allowing us to provide more elective treatment once again. Although we are all excited to resume some of our regular activities, we all know that the threat of this pandemic is still ever present and we all must remain vigilant. 

At Interface Centre, our number one priority continues to be the safety and well–being of our patients and staff. Our infection prevention and control protocols continue to meet and exceed provincial requirements. 

As we prepare to once again offer our expert oral and maxillofacial surgical care to all our patients, we will be making modifications to our clinical activities and patient flow to ensure your safety and that of our staff. Although these changes are designed for your safety, rest assured that the high quality of surgical care that you have come to expect from us will remain the same. 

Some of these changes include: 

Infection prevention and control 

  • In addition to our already robust infection control and sterilization practices, we will ensure that public areas that come in contact with all people will be sanitized appropriately and regularly.
  • We continue to observe universal precautions for all procedures and all patients to prevent cross-contamination, not only for COVID–19 but also for other communicable diseases. 
  • All materials such as magazines, literature, or toys have been removed from public areas. 
  • We will continue to have ample hand sanitizers in all areas for our staff and patients. Please avail yourself of these before and after touching any surface. 
  • There will be signage in all areas to remind and assist you of good hand hygiene practices. All treatment areas have always been, and will continue to be, thoroughly disinfected between each patient. 
  • We will continue to monitor scientific evidence and direction of the public health officials and implement changes as needed.

Screening 

  • Patients will receive online COVID–19 screening forms. One is to be completed prior to the day of your appointment, and the other one on the day of your appointment. 
  • Our staff are trained in screening for signs and symptoms of COVID–19. 
  • All surgeons and staff will complete a COVID–19 screening form and temperature reading daily. 
  • No person who is either known COVID–19 positive, or suspected will be admitted to the office. 
  • We will continually triage the patients referred to us for treatment, prioritizing based on the urgency of each case to determine the best setting and timing for their tailored treatment. 

Physical distancing

  • We have implemented, and will enforce, appropriate physical distancing.
  • We have glass screens placed at our reception desks for the protection of our patients and staff. 
  • In order to preserve personal protection equipment (PPE) at Interface, we ask that you and your escort (if required) arrive with your own mask. If you do not have one, one will be provided. 
  • It would be helpful if you could bring your own pen to the appointment. We will have sanitizedpens available, if needed. 
  • We ask that only the patient receiving care be present in the office. Exceptions will be made for our young and elderly patients who need an accompaniment, as well as those who require other accommodations. 
  • We ask that our patients leave at least one empty seat between themselves and the next person in the public areas. An exception to this will be for members of a family who live at the same address. 
  • Every attempt will be made to stagger appointments to reduce the number of people in any area at a given time. 
  • Signage will be available to assist and remind you.

Day of the Appointment 

  • Patients and family members are asked to wait in their car. Please notify our staff on arrival. 
    • Our staff will notify you when we are ready to greet the patient in the office. 
    • The family members/escort are asked to remain in the parking area.
  • The completed COVID-19 screening form will be reviewed and the patient’s temperature will be recorded. 
    • Only persons who pass the screening will be admitted into the building 
  • Please observe signage for seating and physical distancing. 
  • We appreciate your cooperation with the instructions from our staff. 
  • You will be escorted to the treatment room as soon as possible, reducing your wait in public areas. 
  • Your assessment and/or treatment will proceed while we observe appropriate infection control practices. We thank you for your patience, as donning and doffing the PPEs, and room preparations may require additional time. 
  • Post–operative instructions and any prescriptions will be provided, per our usual routine. 
  • If the treatment is completed under sedation or general anesthesia, our nurses will contact your escort who will then be admitted to the office, if they have a negative screening.
  • You and your escort (if applicable) will be discharged when safe to do so. 
  • In order to reduce your time in the office, we kindly request that financial matters be settled before the appointment. Credit card payments by phone will simplify this significantly. Any refunds/adjustments can be processed on your credit card, right after the appointment. We will continue to accept Interac, cash or certified cheque, if requested. 
  • All pre– and post-operative instructions, as well as other helpful information will be available on our website at www.interfacesurgery.ca We are also always available at 519-433-8333 to answer any question that you may have regarding your assessment or treatment. 

We will continually monitor the provincial guidelines and directives and will make modifications to our activities as needed. 

We appreciate your ongoing support, patience, and cooperation during this transition. As always, we value your feedback on how to better care for you and your family. Please feel free to reach out to any one of our team members. 

Looking forward to seeing you at our practice. 

Surgeons and Team, 

Interface Centre for OMS