When to use the tool 27
Updated December 18, 2024
- The tool 27 is a resident illness reporting and tracking form used by long-term care facilities to report respiratory illness in residents to Public Health.
- Submitting the tool 27 to public health starts when one resident is identified with a confirmed respiratory illness.
- Updates are made on the tool 27 daily (including weekends) and submitted to Public Health to support monitoring of respiratory illness within the site.
- The form is sent to Public Health by 3:00 p.m. daily.
- The tool 27 lists all residents positive for respiratory viruses including those admitted to hospital that also tested positive for COVID-19, influenza or RSV.
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When and how to notify Public Health after hours, weekends and statutory holidays
After hours, on weekends and statutory holidays, the care community is to contact the on call medical health officer (MHO) at 604-527-4806 if:
- The care community with no influenza outbreaks has a new resident influenza case or,
- The care community has two or more resident influenza cases and meet the influenza outbreak definition or,
- The care community has concerns about the severity or the rate of increase in respiratory illness cases in their community.
After calling the MHO on call, send Tool 27 to Public Health using the routine process.
If none of the above situations apply, continue to report/contact to Public Health daily as per the routine process outlined on Tool 27: Resident illness reporting and tracking form.
If questions or concerns arise from a Care Community, please contact the Communicable Disease Nursing Team at 604-507-5471 (Monday - Friday, 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.).
Find and create your own copy of Tool 27
- Based on your type of care community (O&O, Affiliated or Private), download a copy of Tool 27 specific to your care community:
- Use the password provided by your DOC to open the document
- Save the document to your care community network/computer with an updated file name for your care community:
- See example below:
Tool27_Name of your care community_name of unit_page number
e.g. Tool27_MickeyManor_fireworklane_page2
- See example below:
How to find your password
- Ask your DOC or director for the password
- Alternatively, you can request the password by:
- Emailing: COVIDintakehub@fraserhealth.ca
- Copying your care community DOC or delegate
- In the subject line, write: Name of care community, password required and current date
- Body of email:
- Include site name
- Forgot password – requesting password for tool 27
How to fill out the tool 27 form
- Mandatory sections on the form are in grey
- Complete a separate tool 27 for each area in the care community (e.g. one unit/neighborhood per form)
- Do not use abbreviations (e.g. 2 West vs. 2W)
- For each resident on the sheet, ensure the following information is entered:
- Full name, personal health number (PHN), sex and age
- Symptomatic (y/n)
- Date of onset of first symptom
- Collection date of first positive PCR test or collection date of first positive COVID-19 rapid antigen test (RAT)
- If you run out of lines on the tool:
- Start another sheet with the facility Information section completed and add the additional residents
- Provide page numbers at the bottom for each form you complete
- Find detailed instructions on how to fill out and complete daily updates on the tool 27
How to send completed tool 27 forms to Public Health
- Email your site's password protected tool 27 to Public Health
- Include the following details when emailing Public Health:
- Send to: COVIDintakehub@fraserhealth.ca
- Copy to: CDPHNs@fraserhealth.ca and include your care community DOC or delegate
- In the subject line, write: Care community name, affected units and pathogen(s)
- Body of the email:
- Indicate if this is the first tool 27 sent in
- Indicate which unit(s) the attached tools are for
- Attach the tool 27 for the day to the email
- Include name and contact information for the care community in case Public Health needs to contact you