Portfolio Reflection

1. Reflective Focus
The importance of hand hygiene and mask wearing in clinic in response to the COVID-19
pandemic.

2. What is the real problem? Do I have the skills/knowledge to address the central
concern?

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the threat of contracting the virus
and becoming seriously ill was never at the forefront of my mind. In part, this was due to
strong action from the Australian federal and state governments, which implemented
international and state border travel restrictions to prevent the spread of COVID19.
Ultimately, these restrictions helped to limit covid cases in the rural area where I live, and
life for me continued with relative normality compared to other severely hit areas around
the globe. As of the 26th of January 2022, 873,957 covid deaths have been reported in the
Unites States, compared to just 196 deaths in Queensland and 3,716 deaths in Australia
overall (CDC, 2022) (Australian Government Department of Health, 2022).

However, with the easing of border restrictions and the introduction of the Omicron COVID-
19 variant into Queensland during the latter half of 2021, the treat of contracting covid-19
became an ever-closer reality. Whilst Australia had experienced a low death rate in
comparison to other nations and although I am triple vaccinated, I still wanted to do
everything in my power to avoid contracting the virus. Not only was this for the sake of my
own health, but also for some of my immediate family members living with co-morbidities.

Unsurprisingly, working within the student chiropractic clinic in Mackay presented its own
set of risk factors when trying to avoid contracting COVID-19. Firstly, the clinic sees a wide
variety of patients from all walks of life, some of whom could potentially be infected with
the virus and attend clinic whilst asymptomatic. Secondly, clinic interns work in close
proximity to patients when providing treatment, which ultimately increases the risk of viral
transmission. Thirdly, the Mackay student clinic utilises ducted air conditioning to keep the
clinic cool, which could result in virus aerosol droplets circulating through the clinic, even
after an infected patient has left. Fortunately, the Mackay student clinic has implemented
control measures to limit the risk of exposure, including the use of personal protective
equipment such as face masks and safety glasses (Howard et al. 2021). According to one
meta-analysis, face mask use is associated with a reduction in COVID-19 transmission
(Tabatabaeizadeh, 2021). However, these controls are only effective when utilised by every
individual within the clinic.

Accordingly, the real problem is that it is imperative that I maintain high levels of mask use
and maintain thorough hand washing whilst working in the student clinic to reduce my risk
of contracting the virus. Whilst I have the skills and knowledge to reduce the risk of
contracting the virus, it is important that I utilise control measures set out in the most
relevant medical literature to further lower my risk.
 3. Where do I find the information and skills I need? Can I trust the new information
source?

The American Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is one of the most trusted
medical authorities in the world regarding the management of infectious disease outbreaks
such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Moreover, the CDC lists various recommendations on how
to protect yourself from contracting COVID-19, specifically the Omicron variant. These
measures include:

 Get vaccinated and stay up to date with booster vaccines;

 Wear a face mask;
 Stay 6 feet away from others;
 Avoid poorly ventilated spaces and crowds;
 Test to prevent spread to others;
 Wash your hands often;
 Cover coughs and sneezes;
 Clean and disinfect; and
 Monitor your health daily (CDC, 2022).

By implementing the measures recommended by the CDC, I will be doing everything in my

power to reduce my risk of contracting COVID-19. Similarly, the student chiropractic clinic in
Mackay has implemented all the aforementioned control measures into its practice which
ensures that my peers and individuals entering the clinic are subject to the same covid
control measures.

4. Do I need a team approach to this? Who do I recruit into my management team?

To approach this issue, I need to recruit the most relevant literature, my fellow student
interns, the clinic supervisor, and the patients who attend clinic into my management team.
As previously mentioned, COVID_19 control measures only work effectively when adhered
to by all (Howard et al. 2021. As such, it is vital that anyone entering the student clinic
follows the recommendations set out by the CDC to limit the spread and reduce
transmission 1 risk.

5. How can I be sure this new approach has addressed the central concern or resulted
in a positive change outcome?
Whether or not this new approach has addressed the central concern will become evident
as the student clinic continues to operate. Moreover, although there have been positive
COVID-19 patients and students attending the student clinic, so far there has been no
widespread transmission of the virus. This in turn would indicate that the control measures
that have been implemented so far are working.

6. Apply my renewed approach to a similar situation?

In the future, I would apply the same approach to a similar situation. This is because it is
extremely important to rely on the best available medical evidence as your information
source and guideline when approaching an issue that we are unsure about. Moreover, this
ensures that affective control measures are implemented that ultimately keep us and the
wider community safe from situations that may otherwise have devastating consequences.
Reference List

Australia Government Department of Health. (2022) Coronavirus (COVID-19) Case Numbers

and Statistics. https://www.health.gov.au/health-alerts/covid-19/case-numbers-and-
statistics

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (2022). Covid Data Tracker Weekly
Review. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/covid-data/covidview/index.html

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (2022). Protect Yourself.
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/prevention.html

Howard, J., Huang, A., Li, Z., Tufekci, Z., Zdimal, V., van der Westhuizen, H. M., von Delft, A.,
Price, A., Fridman, L., Tang, L. H., Tang, V., Watson, G. L., Bax, C. E., Shaikh, R., Questier, F.,
Hernandez, D., Chu, L. F., Ramirez, C. M., & Rimoin, A. W. (2021). An evidence review of face
masks against COVID-19. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United
States of America, 118(4), e2014564118. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2014564118

Tabatabaeizadeh S. A. (2021). Airborne transmission of COVID-19 and the role of face mask
to prevent it: a systematic review and meta-analysis. European journal of medical
research, 26(1), 1. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40001-020-00475-6
literature to ensure that I am engaging with indigenous patients correctly and whether
there is room for improvement.