Drive-thru testing for COVID-19 in Nova Scotia leads to big reduction in PPE use

A new drive-thrutesting site for COVID-19developed in Truro, N.S., is allowing health-care workers to swab more people, while using a fraction of the gowns, glovesand masks the process would use in a traditional indoorsetting.

The drive-thru concept began at the Colchester East Hants Health Centre last month and has expanded to the Western Kings Memorial Health Centre in Berwick, N.S., and the Dartmouth General Hospital.

The staff in the Truro drive-thru work out of a tent set up besidethe emergency department andhas been equipped with electricity, heat, fire extinguishersand furniture.

When cars pull up to a pre-arranged spot, two nurses walk out to greet the car, gather informationand swabthrough the vehicle's window.

In an eight-hour day, three nurses who work in the tent can see about 32 to 40 patients.

Previously, it took more nurses in a traditional setting to swab about 25 to 30 patients, and the nurses would typically change their protective gear after each patient.

"Here, you could see 30 patients and still use the one gown, for example," said RajMakkar, the health services manager at theColchester East Hants Health Centre.

Since the patients do not get out of their cars, fewer nurses come into contact with them compared towhen patients were tested indoors. As well, the nurses are better able to keep their distance from the patients.

There are also no surfaces such as patient chairs that need to besanitized by housekeeping after each test.

Heather Wolfe, the manager of the emergency department at Colchester East Hants Health Centre, credits the drive-thru concept with reducing the use of supplies like gowns, masks, face shields and gloves by more than 80 per cent in some cases.

The tent was originally set up on March 24 as a way to "pre-triage" people entering the emergency room so potential COVID patients didn't interact with patients who had other issues. Wolfe said they laterrealized what else could be done with it.

"One of the pieces of advice that came through our physician group it was from New York said, 'Get a tent, get it yesterday. You don't know what you're going to do with it, but you're going to need it,'" she said.

The drive-thru testingat the Colchester East Hants Health Centre began on April 15.

People who are being tested at the drive-thru sites should still call 811 for an appointment time.

COVID-19 symptoms

The following is a list of symptoms for COVID-19:

• Fever.
• New or worsening cough.
• Sore throat.
• Runny nose.
• Headache.

Anyone with two or more of those symptoms shouldvisit 811's websitefor a self-assessment questionnaire to determine if 811 should be called for further assessment.

MORE TOP STORIES