LONDON, ONT -- Cystic fibrosis (CF) patients often need routine throat swabs to look for bacterial growth in their lungs, but during COVID-19 can be concerning for such patients.
In order to alleviate those concerns the CF Clinic team at Children’s Hospital at London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC) has come up with a unique solution.
“We were concerned that fear and anxiety of having to come to the hospital for a throat swab while the pandemic is still ongoing could mean that some families might opt to delay their appointments when their child appears to be healthy,” says Jennifer Itterman, Paediatric Nurse Case Manager at Children’s Hospital at LHSC.
The team therefore came up with the idea of allowing families to do drive-up swabs, meaning they can do it curbside and avoid entering the hospital.
“We had suggested the possibility that we could do drive-up swabs as a way to keep the families out of the hospital and maintain routine care in passing, and it was our clinical leadership that really liked the idea and helped us to safely bring the drive-up swab process to fruition,” said Itterman.
Patients with CF return to the Children’s Hospital clinic for a throat swab every three months to detect bacteria in the lungs at an early stage in order to be treated with antibiotics.
Those needing a swab receive an email with directions on where to park. When they arrive they will need to call, and everyone in the car over the age of two must be wearing a mask.
Families are asked to limit those in the car to the patient and caregiver if possible.
Each visit will take roughly 10 minutes however to ensure safe distancing appointments are scheduled 30 minutes apart.
