
COVID-19 Resources for MiracleFeet Partners
Providers, please refer to this edition of our partner newsletter to see the results of the critical COVID needs survey.
MiracleFeet has closely monitored local conditions and COVID-related protocols with partners. Together, over the past several months, we devised reopening procedures, including increased safety precautions at facilities to ensure providers can safely offer patients treatment. MiracleFeet-supported clinics are subject to local government and hospital/facility-level safety procedures in response to coronavirus, and decisions to reopen must comply with those policies, as well.
Promoting safety at clinics
- Continue to follow social distancing guidelines and promote conditions that allow for social distancing (spaced seating in waiting room, outdoor waiting, etc.).
- Thoroughly clean and disinfect clinic equipment and furniture between every appointment.
- Limit accompanying family members/caregivers to one per child in the waiting and treatment rooms.
- Screen patients and families for recent fever, respiratory issues, or other illnesses. Delay treatment if necessary.
- Provide pre- and post-treatment hand sanitizer and/or handwashing stations.
- Provide masks, aprons, and gloves to health workers and masks to family members. Encourage families to take masks home for use on public transportation and during future visits.
- Post COVID-19 educational materials in clinics and educate families on transmission prevention.
How to safely treat patients
- Consider alternative locations for casting, if needed, to minimize exposure to acutely ill patients.
- Provide a separate space for cast removal to reduce the number of people in a confined space, when and if possible.
- Consider in advance the timing, preparation, and location of the tenotomy procedure.
- Perform tenotomies in the clinic setting rather than the surgical theatre, per Ponseti guidelines, to reduce the chance of exposure.
- Consider accelerated Ponseti to work through patient backlog.
- Consider providing two shoe sizes or two braces during brace visits to reduce the frequency of clinic visits.
- Schedule a teleconsultation with parents to review their concerns, to provide remote brace advice, or assess the patient’s condition.
Prioritizing treatment for patients
MiracleFeet recommends that the following children be given priority when scheduling patients return visits:
- Infants whose treatment was suspended, including those who were in casts and those due for their first foot abduction brace-fitting
- Infants with clubfoot waiting to start treatment
- Patients who are known to be struggling with the foot abduction brace and are at risk of recurrence
- Children with pain or skin problems due to the brace.
Supporting families and caregivers
- Providers may need to offer moral support to put families still nervous about attending a hospital at ease.
- Help determine the safest means of transportation for patients to and from treatment.
- Provide reassurance to parents that, despite a short setback, their children should still have a full recovery.
The following list of resources provide additional guidance on how to provide safe treatment during the ongoing pandemic:
Covid-19 impact on clubfoot treatment, global response and recovery –
Webinar by international experts and GCI
Led by international experts and GCI members, this webinar discusses how COVID-19 has impacted clubfoot treatment worldwide, how services can respond and adapt, and considerations for service recovery planning.
Guidance for Physical Rehabilitation Services –
From the International Committee of the Red Cross
COVID-19 Prevention Infographics –
Available in 99 languages
Information on COVID-19 preventions in multiple languages that can be posted in waiting rooms and community centers.
Coronavirus Disease Programme –
Free course offered by Physiopedia
A free course offered by Physiopedia introduces coronavirus and its impact including advice on infection prevention. It also explains the role physiotherapists play in managing issues related to COVID-19 from case identification, limiting transmission in different clinical settings, and treating patients with mild, moderate, and severe symptoms.
GCI Resource Center –
Multiple resources from International clubfoot experts with guidance for treating clubfoot during COVID-19, including videos of stretches that can be done at home and advice for families.