Infection Prevention and Control Standards for Community-Based Organizations
Health Standards Organization (HSO) and Accreditation Canada are providing complimentary access to a selection of globally recognized standards.
The Accreditation Canada Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) standards provide a framework to plan, develop, implement and evaluate effective infection prevention and control activities based on evidence and best practices in the field. The literature shows that well-designed infection prevention and control activities have proven to improve client/resident outcomes, maintain a healthy workforce, and be cost-effective by contributing to fewer health care-associated infections, reduced need for hospitalization, and decreased costs of treatment for health care-associated infections.
These standards are intended for infection prevention and control activities in a health care setting outside of a hospital. For the purposes of these standards, a 'health care setting' is any location where health care is provided, including long-term care, residential homes, supportive housing, in the client's home (home care and home support), ambulatory care facilities, clinics, and other locations in the community.
Accreditation Canada's standards outline the key routine practices and additional precautions for effective infection prevention and control, including:
- Point-of-care risk assessment
- Hand hygiene
- Aseptic techniques
- Personal protective equipment
- Cleaning and disinfection of the physical environment
- Sharps safety
- Safe handling of contaminated items
Promoting a collaborative approach for protecting the safety of clients/residents and staff, the Infection Prevention and Control standards contain the following sections:
- Planning and Developing Infection Prevention and Control Activities
- Implementing Infection Prevention and Control Activities
- Evaluating the Impact of Infection Prevention and Control Activities
Note on Reprocessing and Sterilization
The Infection Prevention and Control standards include content regarding reprocessing of medical devices/equipment. This content applies to teams that conduct reprocessing activities outside of a specific Medical Device Reprocessing Department (MDR). Reprocessing activities that take place in a Medical Device Reprocessing Department are addressed by the Reprocessing and Sterilization standards.