Infection Control

The Infection and Prevention Control program focusses on patient, client, resident, visitor and staff safety. The Infection Control Practitioner (ICP) works closely with health care providers, laboratory services, environmental services, food and nutrition, as well as construction and maintenance departments to prevent, detect, control, and report infections in the health care settings.

Areas of the program include:

  • Education, including hand hygiene training and evaluation for staff and visitors
  • Assistance in outbreak management
  • Surveillance of infections in facilities, (e.g. influenza)
  • Development and recommendation of policies and procedures based on national and international standards

The northern health authorities’ Infection Control Practitioner (ICP) is based within the Population Health Unit, and provides expert consultation and advice for the Infection Control programs within the Keewatin Yatthé Health Region, the Mamawetan Churchill River Health Region, and the Athabasca Health Authority. The northern ICP identifies individual facility’s needs based on the population they serve and assists health authority managers to design their infection control programs and implement infection control programs within their facilities. 

The northern Infection and Prevention Control Coordinator (IPCC) is one of three provincial positions and is based in the northern Population Health Unit. The IPCC works mainly with the provincial team and also provides consultation to the northern IPC and health authorities.  In addition to the development of provincial guidelines, the IPCC will participate, as requested by the regional ICPs, in committee meetings, local policy reviews, and accreditation preparation.

Resources:

www.ipac-canada.org  Infection Prevention and Control Canada (IPAC Canada) is a national multi-disciplinary association which facilitates patient well-being and safety by providing infection prevention and control resources in the form of education and national and international standards of practice.

http://www.patientsafetyinstitute.ca The Canadian Patient Safety Institute (CPSI) is a not-for-profit organization that exists to raise awareness and facilitate implementation of ideas and best practices to achieve a transformation in patient safety. 

http://www.narp.ca  The Northern Antibiotic Resistance Partnership (NARP) is made up of a team of community members, healthcare professionals, educators and research scientists working together to study antimicrobial resistant bacteria that cause infections in northern communities. NARP activities include monitoring bacterial infections and antibiotic use; studying community-associated infections (MRSA); and promoting education about antibiotic resistance for health care providers and community members.