Protecting and eMpowering
Infection Control and
Prevention
The need for infection prevention and control measures
in medical settings has probably never been more
apparent to the public and to the profession than it
is now. Experiences with Severe Acute Respiratory
Syndrome in 2003 and pandemic H1N1 virus in
2009, as well as high-profile cases related to inadequate
sterilization and disinfection of medical equipment,
have underscored the notion that every person is
vulnerable if proper safeguards are not in place to
prevent the transmission and acquisition of infection.
The College has become involved in a variety of
initiatives with stakeholders to improve infection
prevention and control practices among physicians,
most notably, with Public Health Ontario and public
health units to raise awareness of the issues across the
province. We have also provided additional training
for our investigators and assessors and developed a
checklist tool (click here) to be used in our facility based
assessments.
The 10 most common infection control deficiencies seen by CPSO
1 Failure to properly re-process instruments.
7 Failure
to engage a professional cleaning
service.
2 Failure to use safety engineered syringes.
3 Re-use of one use items.
4 F ailure to have clear delineation between clean
and dirty areas where re-processing occurs.
5 Improper waste disposal.
6 U
se of household cleaning agents rather than
those suitable for a clinic setting.
26
8 Failure
to post universal hand washing and
cough protocols where patients can see them.
9 No isolation area for patients identified
with respiratory infections and other
communicable diseases.
10 L ack of awareness of Infection Prevention
and Control Guidelines. No Guide found in
clinic.
COLLEGE OF PHYSICIANS AND SURGEONS OF ONTARIO