COVID-19
Information for Patients and Families

Essential visitors are individuals who are designated by the patient (or substitute decision-makers of incapable patients) as persons who provide direct support to the patient (e.g., feeding, mobility, personal hygiene, cognitive stimulation, communication, meaningful connection, relational continuity and assistance in decision-making).

In addition to playing an important role in patient care, essential visitors also have a critical role in helping ensure the safety of our hospital community. The following information is intended to help educate essential visitors on proper infection prevention and control methods prior to visiting the hospital.

If you have any questions, comments or concerns, please speak with the patient's health care team.

It is important to practice proper hand hygiene while visiting the hospital. Regularly washing hands and frequently using hand sanitizer helps prevent the spread of infectious diseases, keeping everyone safe.

At minimum, hands should be cleaned with hand sanitizer when entering and exiting the hospital, before putting on and taking off your mask, before entering the inpatient unit, and before entering and after leaving the patient’s room.

The following videos demonstrate proper hand washing and hand rubbing (sanitizing) practices:

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For the health and safety of THP patients, staff, visitors and the community, masks must be worn at all times. Visitors can wear their own 3-layered masks when in the hospital, as long as it is not soiled. A member of the Screening team is located at all hospital entrances and can also provide a mask for visitors to wear when they are in the hospital.

The following demonstrates how to properly wear, store and dispose of your mask:

While visiting THP, all visitors are required to maintain a physical distance of at least 2 metres whenever and as much as possible.

The following demonstrates what keeping a distance of 2 metres might look like:

Depending on the condition of the patient or the requirements of the inpatient unit being visited, the use of additional PPE (e.g., gowns, gloves, face shields) may be required. If required, education on the proper use of additional PPE will be provided by the inpatient unit’s clinical team before entering the patient room for a visit.

McMaster University Continuing Education has launched a free online, self-paced course, Infection Prevention and Control of Caregivers and Families. This course is designed to help family caregivers acquire skills and knowledge for managing the prevention and control of infection.