UPDATED FOR CLARITY 14 FEB 2022
With more Rapid Antigen Tests (RATs) becoming available, we are now deploying them in different ways to ensure the appropriate level for our employees, patients and visitors.
Symptomatic employees
- Monash Health employees who are symptomatic will receive priority access to RATs at our Clayton Drive Through Screening Clinic as well as our Dandenong Screening Clinic.
Asymptomatic employee close contacts returning to work
- RATs for asymptomatic employee close contacts returning to work are available at site entrances.
- Please note: PCR tests will continue in clinical areas as part of our employee surveillance program.
Inpatient admissions
- All patients admitted from ED require a RAT and a PCR when the decision to admit is made. A RAT is only required for patients on admission. It should not be done during inpatient stay unless advised by Infection Prevention.
- All planned admissions require a PCR test within 72 hours prior to admission. Where this is not possible a RAT test should be used.
- As we head towards flu season, it’s important to continue our business-as-usual PCR testing for inpatients as it provides us with information about other viruses circulating in the community.
Screening outpatients
- Day patients and dialysis and infusion centre patients require a RAT before receiving care on-site. Operational processes for this will vary by area. Please talk to your operational line management for details.
Documenting inpatient RAT results in the EMR
- The ‘Rapid Antigen Test – Point of Care’ documentation is available in the EMR iView. This allows our clinicians to document inpatient RAT test results, as distinct from a PCR test, in the EMR.
- RAT tests can be documented from ‘Interactive View’ or ‘Ad Hoc power forms’
- Results can be viewed in “Results Review”
- RAT tests can be documented by all clinical staff (including students and clinical assistants)
Approved by Dr Anjali Dhulia, Chief Medical Officer and Professor Rhonda Stuart, Medical Director, Infection Prevention and Epidemiology