During Accreditation week from December 4 to 9, the surveyors will ask questions related to Infection Prevention and Control’s (IPAC) policies, procedures and practices to anyone at the West-Central Health. IPAC will be evaluated across all missions and a patients’ trajectories.
Did you know these important facts about the network?
1. We have a multifaceted approach to promoting IPAC and engaging staff, service providers and volunteers.
2. There are four Required Organizational Practices (ROP) related to IPAC.
- We provide hand-hygiene education via various forums such as a hand hygiene e-learning module, in-services and during IPAC workshops/presentations to staff, service-providers, and volunteers.
- We measure hand hygiene compliance through mandatory audits and disseminate the results to all units, department heads and directors on a monthly basis.
- When reprocessing equipment, the Central Sterilization Department monitors our processes and makes appropriate improvements, in collaboration with IPAC.
- We track healthcare associated infections such as MRSA, VRE, CRO, C.difficile, influenza and gastroenteritis, analyze the information to identify outbreaks and trends, and share this information throughout our organization (e.g. IPAC committee, Quality and Risk Management committee, Vigilance committee, Medical Executive Committee, Board of Directors and Public Health).
3. Our network-wide IPAC interdisciplinary committee meets at least six times a year to review the network’s priorities and ensure improvements. An IPAC officer, a coordinator, and IPAC nurses, according to the provincial norms, support the IPAC program.
4. IPAC regularly collaborates with many departments such as Nursing, Microbiology Laboratory, Technical and Environmental Services, Central Sterilization and Occupational Health and Safety to promote the IPAC program and make improvements as necessary.
5. We provide staff, patients and families with information about hand hygiene, routine practices, additional precautions and information on specific diseases in a format that is easy to understand.
To support the network as we prepare for accreditation, Silvana Perna and IPAC team members are organizing site visits. If you would like to schedule an appointment, we encourage any interested parties to reach out to our team at 514-340-8222 extension 5778.
Lastly, starting October 17, Infection Prevention and Control Week and Users Safety Week promises to be an enriching experience for everyone!
Thank you for ensuring best IPAC practices across our network.
