General Infection Prevention and Control Resources

IPAC recommendations can frequently apply to multiple settings and health professionals. This general resources page hosts many infection prevention and control resources that may apply to multiple congregate settings. Please use professional judgement in applying recommendations from these resources to your congregate living setting. Consult with your IPAC lead or the Porcupine Health Unit when unsure about implementing certain IPAC recommendations. Click one of the topics below to explore some of the general infection prevention and control resources appropriate for various congregate living settings.

Guidance Documents

Guidance documents provide a broad overview of infection prevention and control practices for various congregate living settings. These documents include best practices, guidelines, and print-ready resources from various evidence-based sources of IPAC information. These documents are meant to guide decision-making for specific topics, training, and education.

Cleaning, Disinfecting, and Reprocessing

One of the most effective IPAC processes is elimination (cleaning, disinfecting, and reprocessing). Cleaning, disinfecting, and reprocessing of the environment and equipment is highly necessary in all healthcare settings. These guidance documents outline proper processes for environmental cleaning and the disinfecting/reprocessing of medical equipment.

Screening and Testing

Screening and testing are key components for the prevention of disease spread. This list of resources explains the various methods of screening and testing in congregate living settings.

Hand Hygiene

Hand hygiene is an effective strategy to prevent the spread of infections. Hand hygiene is a required practice for all health care providers and is recommended in all national and international infection control guidelines.

Vaccines

Vaccines and vaccine promotion are key activities of a comprehensive infection prevention and control program. This list of resources contain helpful information related to vaccine administration, promotion, and knowledge sharing

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

A key component in the prevention and control of infectious disease is the appropriate use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). Guidelines for the proper use, donning, and doffing procedures for PPE are applicable to multiple health and community settings. These resources outline proper PPE use. 

Isolation and Lapse Prevention

Avoidance of infection prevention and control (IPAC) lapses is important in any setting. One of the key means of avoidance is through proper reporting and investigation of any IPAC lapse in a healthcare setting. These documents contain the processes involved in IPAC lapse investigations and frequently asked questions.