Note: This article was originally published in the Spring 2023 edition of our On Call newsletter and has not been updated.
Barbara Yaffe, Ontario’s Associate Chief Medical Officer of Health, has identified a trend related to Infection Prevention and Control (IPAC) lapses.
From the letter: All IPAC risk assessments indentifed by Public Health Ontario involved concerns with the reprocessing of reusable equipment and instruments and many involved concerns with medication preparation and administration. The most common contributing factor identified was the lack of IPAC education and training for staff.
These challenges were grouped into three categories.
- Failure to check indicators
- Failure to follow the manufacturer’s instructions for use
- Lack of IPAC education/training for staff responsible for reprocessing
Resources for preventing IPAC lapses can be found on Public Health Ontario’s website.