What to expect from your Massage Therapy appointment
during the COVID-19 pandemic
during the COVID-19 pandemic
As Ontario begins to reopen and restart more businesses, RMTs are now able to gradually resume providing massage therapy treatments. As someone who has accessed massage therapy treatments in the past and hopes to access them in the future, you may be wondering what you can expect from a massage therapy treatment in the midst of a pandemic. I hope that this guideline will help you feel safer and more confident as you access massage therapy care during this unprecedented time.
I am doing everything I can to create the safest, most welcoming clinic environment and so look forward to seeing all of you!
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact me.
Mariane Talbot, RMT
Before Your Appointment
There will be some changes to the way appointments are scheduled and some new procedures for arriving to your appointment to keep you safe.
Before you arrive for a massage therapy appointment:
When you arrive
Once you arrive at your massage therapy treatment, things might look a little different and you may be asked to behave a little differently than you would have in the past. When you arrive at your massage therapy appointment, you will:
During your appointment
While the treatment will remain as normal as possible, there will be a couple of changes:
Behind the scenes
There are a lot of things that I will be doing behind the scenes to keep my clients safe. This includes:
After the appointment
After your appointment and as you go to pay and leave the clinic, things might be a little different as well.
Although the treatment environment and the procedures you are expected to follow might be a little different, what remains the same is my commitment to the health and safety of my clients. During this unprecedented time, I am working hard to ensure I can provide you with the health care you need as safely as possible.
COVID-19 PATIENT SCREENING
Before accepting an appointment, I must screen every client for risk of COVID-19 by following the MOH's COVID-19 Patient Screening Document Guidance and the COVID-19 Reference Document for Symptoms. The same screening must also be done the day of the appointment before you enter the building.
Please answer YES or NO to the following questions:
* You must answer NO to ALL of the following questions (1-7) to proceed with booking an appointment.
Q1. Have you travelled outside of Canada in the past 14 days?
Q2. Do you currently have a confirmed case of COVID-19?
Q3. Have you ever tested positive for COVID-19?
Q4. Are you awaiting results for COVID-19 testing?
Q5. Have you had close contact with a confirmed case of COVID-19 without wearing appropriate PPE?
Q6. Do you have any of the following symptoms:
COVID-19 NEW POLICIES & PROCEDURES
* You must answer YES to ALL of the following questions (1-6) to proceed with booking an appointment.
Q1. Do you understand and acknowledge that by coming to the clinic, you are assuming the risk of exposure to COVID-19?
Q2. I have read the COVID-19 information on Mariane Talbot's website that explains in details all the precautions that have been put in place to make the clinic clean and safe.
Q3. Are you willing to wear a face mask during the treatment?
(You must come to your appointment with a face mask on and keep it on until you leave the building after your appointment).
Q4. Are you willing to use hand sanitizer before entering the building? (I will provide it when I meet you outside the building.)
Q5. Are you willing to wash your hands for 15-20 seconds once you have entered the building?
Q6. Are you willing to wash your hands after the treatment?
If you do NOT pass this basic COVID-19 screening, I can NOT provide treatment, regardless of the rationale for Massage Therapy treatment. You will be advised to self-isolate and complete the online self-assessment tool before calling your primary care provider or Telehealth Ontario at 1-866-797-0000. This information will be documented in your health record and I will NOT treat you for at least 14 days, until you are asymptomatic, and have been cleared by your primary care provider or Telehealth Ontario of any concern of COVID-19.
I am doing everything I can to create the safest, most welcoming clinic environment and so look forward to seeing all of you!
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact me.
Mariane Talbot, RMT
Before Your Appointment
There will be some changes to the way appointments are scheduled and some new procedures for arriving to your appointment to keep you safe.
Before you arrive for a massage therapy appointment:
- You will be screened for your risk of COVID-19. I will email you a questionnaire which you must answer with YES or NO and return to me a few days before your appointment.
- RMTs are required to prioritize clients with essential/urgent care needs.
- Prioritize means treating clients with more serious needs first. All clients can be treated at this time although I will be prioritizing existing clients; however, RMTs must always use their professional judgement to ensure the anticipated benefit of treatment outweighs the risk (including the risk of COVID-19).
- Ensure you arrive alone and as close to your appointment as possible.
- You are asked to stay outside the building when you arrive and text me (647) 520-6378 to let me know you have arrived and I will come down to meet you and do another COVID-19 screening before you enter the building.
- You will notice that there is more time between available appointments (at least 60 minutes). This is because I need more time between clients to complete all cleaning and disinfecting procedures.
- I will tell you about all public health measures I have implemented.
When you arrive
Once you arrive at your massage therapy treatment, things might look a little different and you may be asked to behave a little differently than you would have in the past. When you arrive at your massage therapy appointment, you will:
- Bring a disposable or reusable mask, which you will be asked to wear before you enter the building, for the duration of the treatment, and until you leave the building. Make sure the mask is placed snugly over your mouth & nose, making sure there are no gaps. If you do not have a mask, I can provide one. Please note: At this time, I will NOT treat anyone who is not able to wear a mask because of a health condition that makes wearing a mask difficult or for any other reasons. If you can't wear or don't want to wear a mask, please DO NOT book an appointment with me.
- Be screened again for COVID-19 to ensure your status has not changed BEFORE entering the building.
- Be required to use hand sanitizer BEFORE entering the building.
- Be asked to provide your name and phone number in a Visitor Log to be used for potential future contact tracing. You may choose to refuse to provide this information.
- Be required to wash your hands before entering the treatment room. You will see signage outlining proper hand washing procedures. I will also wash my hands before and after each treatment and after disinfecting the space.
- Come close to your appointment time and text me when you arrive (647) 520-6378. I will come down and meet you outside the building and do another COVID-19 screening to verify that your health status has not changed since the pre-appointment screening.
- See signage at entrances and on the third floor that outlines the signs and symptoms of COVID-19, what to do if one is at risk, and how to limit transmission, including signage reiterating the requirement to wear a mask and wash your hands before proceeding.
During your appointment
While the treatment will remain as normal as possible, there will be a couple of changes:
- You will be asked to wear your mask during the treatment. Make sure the mask covers your mouth and nose.
- I will also be wearing a surgical mask (ASTM Level 2) at all times.
Behind the scenes
There are a lot of things that I will be doing behind the scenes to keep my clients safe. This includes:
- Changing linens, blankets and pillows between clients which will be washed and dried on the highest heat setting possible.
- Cleaning and disinfecting high touch surfaces (e.g. light switches, door knobs, counter tops, etc.) at least twice per day.
- Disinfecting the treatment room and all of its equipment between patients. This includes but is not limited to the massage table, face cradle, stool, client chair, lotion bottle, any massage tools used during the treatment. Any face cradle cover is changed after each patient.
After the appointment
After your appointment and as you go to pay and leave the clinic, things might be a little different as well.
- All necessary paper work is done digitally (RMT receipts, agreement forms, intake form, etc.)
- Non contact forms of payment are used e.g. tap with a debit or credit card, e-transfer. Cash is NOT accepted at this time.
- After the appointment, I will wash my hands (including forearms and elbows) with soap and water before and after disinfecting. I will then clean and disinfect everything used and every surface touched during the appointment.
- While you are not receiving massage therapy treatment, you should maintain a 2-meter distance from me, colleagues and other clients at the clinic.
Although the treatment environment and the procedures you are expected to follow might be a little different, what remains the same is my commitment to the health and safety of my clients. During this unprecedented time, I am working hard to ensure I can provide you with the health care you need as safely as possible.
COVID-19 PATIENT SCREENING
Before accepting an appointment, I must screen every client for risk of COVID-19 by following the MOH's COVID-19 Patient Screening Document Guidance and the COVID-19 Reference Document for Symptoms. The same screening must also be done the day of the appointment before you enter the building.
Please answer YES or NO to the following questions:
* You must answer NO to ALL of the following questions (1-7) to proceed with booking an appointment.
Q1. Have you travelled outside of Canada in the past 14 days?
Q2. Do you currently have a confirmed case of COVID-19?
Q3. Have you ever tested positive for COVID-19?
Q4. Are you awaiting results for COVID-19 testing?
Q5. Have you had close contact with a confirmed case of COVID-19 without wearing appropriate PPE?
Q6. Do you have any of the following symptoms:
- Fever (temperature of 37.8 degrees C or greater)
- New onset of cough
- Worsening chronic cough
- Shortness of breath
- Difficulty breathing
- Sore throat
- Difficulty swallowing
- New decrease or loss of sense of taste or smell
- Chills
- Headaches
- Unexplained fatigue / malaise / muscle aches (myalgias)
- Nausea / vomiting / diarrhea / abdominal pain
- Pink eye (conjunctivitis)
- Runny nose / nasal congestion without other known cause (in absence of underlying reason for these symptoms such as seasonal allergies, post nasal drip, etc.)
- New rash or other skin changes
COVID-19 NEW POLICIES & PROCEDURES
* You must answer YES to ALL of the following questions (1-6) to proceed with booking an appointment.
Q1. Do you understand and acknowledge that by coming to the clinic, you are assuming the risk of exposure to COVID-19?
Q2. I have read the COVID-19 information on Mariane Talbot's website that explains in details all the precautions that have been put in place to make the clinic clean and safe.
Q3. Are you willing to wear a face mask during the treatment?
(You must come to your appointment with a face mask on and keep it on until you leave the building after your appointment).
Q4. Are you willing to use hand sanitizer before entering the building? (I will provide it when I meet you outside the building.)
Q5. Are you willing to wash your hands for 15-20 seconds once you have entered the building?
Q6. Are you willing to wash your hands after the treatment?
If you do NOT pass this basic COVID-19 screening, I can NOT provide treatment, regardless of the rationale for Massage Therapy treatment. You will be advised to self-isolate and complete the online self-assessment tool before calling your primary care provider or Telehealth Ontario at 1-866-797-0000. This information will be documented in your health record and I will NOT treat you for at least 14 days, until you are asymptomatic, and have been cleared by your primary care provider or Telehealth Ontario of any concern of COVID-19.