BOOKING APPOINTMENTS

In order to meet our commitment to patient safety, we have changed our booking procedures to include prescreening questions. Clinic staff will collect screening information at the time of booking. Should you answer yes to any of the prescreening questions, you will not be able to book or attend your appointment. Prescreening questions will be asked during your appointment reminder call the evening before your appointment. Should you answer yes to any of the questions, please call the office immediately, cancel your appointment and seek medical attention if required. If you are ill or under quarantine, please cancel your appointment until deemed safe to by your primary care provider.

PRIOR TO YOUR APPOINTMENT

Please complete the online forms required of you found on our website physionorth.ca. If you are a returning client, you will need to only submit the COVID-19 Patient consent form. These forms are fillable and will be emailed to us directly so you do not need to handle any paper.

APPOINTMENT DAY

We ask that you arrive as close to your appointment time as possible. If you must, wait in your vehicle until no sooner than 5 minutes prior to your appointment. Though perhaps difficult, we ask that you attend the clinic alone. Anyone dropping you off or picking you up should stay in the vehicle unless you require the assistance of another for preventing falls.

We require that you bring a mask to wear in the clinic. Please do not bring gloves. We will ask you to remove them upon entry. If you do not own a mask, we will be able to provide you with a homemade mask at a cost of $5 per mask.

Please leave unnecessary items in your vehicle including jackets, water bottles and bags. Please bring any current theraband and electrodes that you are using at home. Upon entering the clinic, you will again be asked prescreening questions. Should you answer yes to any of these questions, you will not be able to attend your appointment. A hand sanitizing station will be present to your right. Staff will monitor your hand washing and ensure your mask is worn properly. Once sanitized, you will be directed by a staff member to your appointment room. Please do no sit in the reception area unless necessary and directed to.

If you have paperwork that must be viewed/signed by your physiotherapist, scan and email all correspondence to your physiotherapist whenever possible to minimize unnecessary handling of paper and risking contamination.

We would appreciate you use the washroom facilities at your home before attending. The washroom will still be available if absolutely necessary, but bear in mind, the washroom facilities must undergo a 10-15 minute sanitization after each use, regardless of your purpose, in the facility. If the facility must be used, please advise the staff. Please also re-sanitize your hands prior to entry of any treatment room after washroom use.

You should stay in your room/on your treatment bed only and minimize travel to other areas in the clinic. The gym will remain open but only for use of exercise equipment and parallel bars. Therabands will be single use and you will be required to be purchased and brought to subsequent treatments.

Upon completion of your appointment you must sanitize your hands before being directed to our lovely front desk staff to pay, purchase, and rebook your appointments. There will be visible floor markers to indicate where one should stand if multiple patrons are at the front desk. We ask you to fill one of the empty floor markers if required to wait. Payment via tap is preferred to minimize contact. If not possible, payment by etransfer is preferred second. If possible, please do not pay with cash.

COVID-19 CLINIC SAFETY MEASURES

PhysioNorth wants to reassure all patients that our clinic is a safe environment for all to attend. Under the direction of all Regulatory Associations, Public Health, and Chief Medical Officer, guidelines have been drafted to ensure the public’s safety. The safety of you, your family members and our staff is our number one priority.

To ensure physical distancing (the two-metre distance rule), we have reduced the number of individuals in the clinic at a time and increased our hours so that at risk individuals can be seen early in the morning. Only one physiotherapist will be working at a time.

We have also acquired all the necessary Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) essential in protecting and preventing the spread of COVID-19. All sanitization products (hand sanitizers, hand wipes and disinfecting products) are approved for use by Health Canada and obtain appropriate 8-digit DIN numbers. Environment cleaning and disinfection is essential to avoid the possible spread of COVID19. ONLY the approved disinfectants with a virucidal claim are appropriate for the elimination of viruses in a clinic environment.

The frequency of cleaning and disinfection is dependent on the nature of use/contact of the surface/item in question. Our clinic disinfects all patient contact items between each patient use. Examples are but not limited to treatment tables, headrests, arm rests, chairs, laser machines, ultrasound heads, electrodes, all equipment, contact surfaces, exercise equipment, therapeutic tools, devices, diagnostic tools, procedural work surfaces, commonly touched areas, light switches, door handles, taps, toilets, handrails, counter tops, touch screens/mobile devices, keyboards, payment machine, clipboards, pens, towels, etc. We have eliminated all books, magazines, toys, remote controls, literature, brochures, paper receipts, self serve candy dishes, baked goods and other open unsealed consumables are not permitted. We have replaced all our fabric chairs with vinyl chairs for cleaning purposes.

We will still have our 24 hour cancellation policy in place with leniency toward illness related circumstances. We will not charge anyone for a missed appointment who suddenly comes down with symptoms of an illness or a member of the family that requires immediate attention.

The staff at PhysioNorth appreciate all our clients and thank you from the bottom of our hearts for all your support over the years! We consider you all our family and wish to treat you as such. One day life will return to normal, but for now we must follow these procedures to our best capabilities. Until then, we thank you for your patience, flexibility and shared diligence to keeping everyone safe.