When we established COVID-19 isolation unit for infected children and staff, we adopted evidence-based practices as is the norm and the basis of success in Hospital 57357. Soon enough, 57357’s isolation unit became one of the most important units in Egypt that applies best effective treatment and highest protection standards.
Food safety is a very important factor for protecting patients in hospitals, and this factor gains more importance with the spread of the COVID-19 virus. At the isolation unit of Hospital 57357, we apply standard procedures along with cleaning and sterilization measures to guaranty food safety and stop infection transmission.
The clinical nutrition department of Hospital 57357 prepared a paper about food handling measures and practices for COVID-19 patients in the intermediate care unit of Hospital 57357.
A research paper was published in the International Journal of Advanced Research, IJAR, where it was praised by members of the editorial board of the journal. The paper prepared by Dr. Afaf Amin, Dr. Golsen Saleh, Dr. Ahmed Khedr, highlighted precise measures to guaranty food safety and stop infection.
With respect to guidelines for preparing food in the isolation unit, Dr. Amin shared: a number of measures should be accurately applied, and the most important of them are:
- Washing hands and surfaces frequently when preparing food, applying thorough cleaning and sterilization programs for equipment, applying strict rules for employees health and hygiene, and committing to personal protective means such as gloves and headwear.
- Separating raw foods from other foods.
- Cooking foods at a suitable temperature, as research revealed that, like other pathogens, it is killed at 65 degrees temperature for 3 minutes.
- Cooling food immediately.
About the manor and steps of handling food in the isolation unit, it is done through the following steps:
- When giving food to COVID-19 patient, contact with food processing employees is completely prohibited, and it is only handled through a nurse. Food is prepared for each patient according to prescribed regimen, under the supervision of the clinical nutrition department, and each meal is put in a bag with the room number on it.
- The bag and food wear are transferred to the admission department, then a nurse will transport them to an isolated room, another nurse will receive them and take them into the patient’s room while taking precautionary measures.
- Food wear, plates and cups used are disposable
- When the patient finishes eating, the nurse puts food wear in a special red bag that is placed in a garbage bin to be disposed of through sterilization unit or burning ovens.
- Installing barriers to limit contact with patients and using stickers and signs on the floor to specify waiting areas outside and inside the building.