COVID-19 Information for Residency Programs - December 4
Dear Program Directors,
I am providing as much information as I am able to at this point.
- Residents and staff caring for medicine patients at University Hospital are on ‘work quarantine’ as of December 2nd . I attached the messaging they received for your information. Note this applies only to the medicine CTUs.
- At the IPAC meeting yesterday the message was that ‘residents at University Hospital not rotate off of the rotation on December 15th however this is currently not in writing or clarified.
- The latest written guidance from MLHU from November 30th and again reiterated on December 1st was as follows: (I added the bold)
- Staff and paid learners should be cohorted as much as possible. Within University Hospital, staff should be cohorted to a single unit as much as possible. Within the LHSC system, staff should be cohorted to a single hospital as much as possible. And within the broader healthcare system, staff should be cohorted as much as possible to a single healthcare facility. This guidance holds regardless of if there is an outbreak or not, and should be a standing policy for all facilities. The cohorting applies to residents during their rotations; if they are switching rotations, they can change sites but must monitor themselves closely for symptoms.
- Staff and paid learners should be cohorted as much as possible. Within University Hospital, staff should be cohorted to a single unit as much as possible. Within the LHSC system, staff should be cohorted to a single hospital as much as possible. And within the broader healthcare system, staff should be cohorted as much as possible to a single healthcare facility. This guidance holds regardless of if there is an outbreak or not, and should be a standing policy for all facilities. The cohorting applies to residents during their rotations; if they are switching rotations, they can change sites but must monitor themselves closely for symptoms.
- There is an MLHU meeting today at noon – I have asked that a number of specific questions be answered including:
- Self-isolation requirements for residents leaving the medicine service.
- Self-isolation requirements, if any, for residents leaving UH from other services such as emergency medicine, anesthesia, surgery etc.
- If there are restrictions for movement between services – for example can a radiology resident currently working on 4IP UH change to a radiology rotation at UH?
- I have also asked for clarification about any restrictions in movement of physicians between LHSC and St. Joseph’s hospital.
So in summary, once again thank you for your patience, there will almost certainly be restrictions to residents changeover on the December 15 for block 7 – but we as of yet, do not have clarification about this. I will hopefully provide more information later today after the MLHU meeting, and as well LHSC is finalizing a messaging document for later today.
Please take care and stay safe,
Lois
