Infection prevention and control program
From IDWiki
Background
- IPAC programs result in fewer healthcare-associated infections, reduced length of stay, less antimicrobial resistance, and decreased cost of infection treatments
Core Components
- Surveillance, based on systematic data collection and subsequent data analysis and dissemination
- Process measures, often requiring process audits
- Outcome measures, such as rates hospital-acquired infections
- System for detecting, investigating, and controlling outbreaks
- Reportable disease reporting to public health agencies
- Policies and procedures
- IPAC policies and procedures
- Care policies and procedures that impact IPAC
- Compliance and accreditation
- Occupational health and safety
- Includes requirement for annual influenza vaccination as a rerequisite of employment
- Education and training
- Continuing education for healthcare providers in IPAC
- Education of clients, patients, residents, and visitors
- Antimicrobial stewardship program
Miscellaneous Components
- Hand hygeine program
- Routine practices and precautions program
- Resident health program for longterm care facilities, such as immunization programs
- Timely access to microbiology laboratory reports and expertise
- Active participation in facility maintenance standards, facility design, and construction and renovation
- Product review and evaluation
- Continuous quality improvement activities
- Review of practices for reprocessing of equipment
- Review of practices for environmental cleaning
- Participation in research activities for programs affiliated with academic health science centres, teaching hospitals, and other settings
Staffing Requirements
IPAC committee
- Membership must includes ICPs, IPAC physician, OHS representation, public health, environmental services representation, nursing and MD representatives, and management
- Can also include representatives from microbiology, ID, equipment processing, OR, epidemiology, and quality assurance
Infection Control Professional (ICP)
- In general, for an acute care facility, should have around 1 ICP per 100 occupied beds
- This number can vary based on complexity of patient care
IPAC MD
- Must have available a physician trained in IPAC
- Sits on the committee and is available as-needed otherwise
Administrative Assistant
- Helps to coordinate the program
Guidelines & Resources
- Ontario Agency for Health Protection and Promotion. Provincial Infectious Diseases Advisory Committee. Best Practices for Infection Prevention and Control Programs in All Health Care Settings, 3rd edition. Toronto, ON: Queen's Printer for Ontario; May 2012.
- Association for Professions in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC)
- Heymann D. Control of Communicable Diseases Manual. 20th edition. Washington, DC: American Public Health Association; 2008.
- American Academy of Pediatrics. Red Book: 2018-2021 Report of the Committee on Infectious Diseases. 31st edition. Elk Grove Village, IL: American Academny of Paediatrics; 2018.
- CDC Guidelines Library
