Infection Prevention and Control (IPAC)

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• Who is responsible for the Infection Prevention and Control Program at the College?

  • The Infection Prevention and Control Advisory Committee (IPAC), appointed by the Council of the College. The committee provides advice on the appropriate standards for the prevention of infectious disease transmission, including the cleaning, disinfection and sterilization of medical equipment in a registered practitioner’s office.

• What does IPAC do to assess infection control practices in physician's offices or clinics?

  • IPAC administers a program of ongoing education, review and assessment of infection prevention and control practices in physician’s offices. (more)

• Why did the College need an Infection Prevention and Control Program?

  • The Government of Alberta directed that all Health Professional Regulatory Bodies establish and communicate expectations and responsibilities of regulated members with regard to infection prevention and control.

• Do physicians have to participate?

  • Yes. Participation in the program is mandatory.

• Are there any costs associated with participation?

  • There are no direct costs to physicians at this time.

• To what standards will my practices be reviewed against?

  • For general infection prevention measures: 
    Infection Prevention and Control Best Practices for Long Term Care, Home and Community Care including Health Care Offices and Ambulatory Clinics
    (Canadian Committee on Antibiotic Resistance, June 2007)
  • For reprocessing medical equipment: 
    Best Practices for Cleaning, Disinfection and Sterilization in all Healthcare Settings
    (Provincial Infectious Diseases Advisory Committee of Ontario, April 2006)

Office Identification Survey

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• What is the survey for?

  To ask physicians if they reprocess medical equipment in their office of clinic. Physicians who indicate they reprocess medical equipment receive secondary self-audit form(s) to complete.
  
  

• What does the College mean by 'office' or 'clinic'?

  An office not owned or operated by a federal or provincial government or Alberta Health Services.
  

• How many physicians are being surveyed?

  Eventually, all physicians who may be reprocessing medical equipment be surveyed. Physicians who are likely to be reprocessing endoscopes and other medical equipment were the first to receive the survey in March 2008.
  
  

• I work in a group practice. How does this affect my survey response?

  Physicians practicing in groups at the same location, and who share the same reprocessing area and/or personnel responsible for reprocessing practices, may submit one survey. Note: It is important that one physician be identified as the contact individual and that all physician names are documented on the response.
  
  

• I work at more than one office. Will I have to fill out a survey for every office?

  No, you would pick the one site that does the most reprocessing when answering this survey. Note: It is the physician’s responsibility to ensure that all other sites are compliant with reprocessing standards.
  

Endoscope Reprocessing Audits

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• I have received one or both of the audits forms, how long do I have to complete it?

  • Physicians will have 30 days to complete and return the audit(s) to the College.
    

• What happens after I submit the audits?

  • All offices or clinics will be visited by an Inspector selected to perform the inspection on behalf of the College. Inspectors contact physicians directly to arrange for a mutually convenient date and time.
    

• What kind of qualifications do the inspectors have?

  • All inspectors are registered nurses and reprocessing managers with extensive infection prevention and reprocessing experience.
    

• What does the inspection involve?

  • The inspectors will review office reprocessing practices, policies and procedures, fixtures and equipment for compliance to standards.
    

• How long will the inspection take?

  • Inspections generally take 1.5 to 2 hours on-site.
    

• What happens if deficiencies are found in my office’s infection prevention and control practices?

  • The inspectors will provide on-site education and counseling where appropriate. All office/clinic reports will be reviewed by IPAC, and further follow-up and direction may be forthcoming.
  • Refusal to comply with direction from IPAC will result in a referral to the Registrar.