Immediately following a session, it is important to consider how you prepare for room sanitation. It is also imperative to have a follow-up plan in place for open communication regarding any COVID-19 symptoms displayed by therapists or clients after the session.
Practitioner Sanitation Protocols
- Upon leaving the treatment room, immediately undergo your handwashing protocol while the client dresses. Do not touch or adjust your face covering. Wash hands thoroughly, up to the elbows, using WHO guidelines for best practices.
- Do not remove your face mask until you’ve taken payment for services and the client has left. If you must handle cash, check, or credit cards, do so using a pair of disposable gloves. Once the client leaves, dispose of the gloves, and remove your uniform shirt or apron, folding it in on itself and keeping the soiled surfaces inside. Place in a lidded container for daily laundry removal and wash hands before next removing your face mask carefully for additional uses. Finally, redress in a clean shirt.
- Hand hygiene after removing PPE or clothing is particularly important to remove any pathogens that might have been transferred to bare hands during the removal process. If hands are visibly soiled, use soap and water before applying alcohol-based hand sanitizer. For the removal of masks, the CDC says you must wash your hands both before and after removal. (See more PPE guidelines in blog post)
- Begin room sanitation.
Post-Session Client Interaction
- Have a post-session check-in with client 2–3 days later to ask typical session-follow-up questions, but also to ask about their overall health. Create a protocol that a client will call you and you will call a client if either start showing any apparent COVID-19 symptoms.
