Infection Prevention and Control

Effective infection prevention and control is vital to providing high quality health care for patients and a safe working environment for those that work in any healthcare setting. Everybody working in a healthcare facility, including administrators, staff, patients and carers has the responsibility to understand the means of transmission of infectious organisms and knowing how and when to apply the basic principles of infection prevention and control (including principles, hand hygiene, personal protective equipment, aseptic technique, levels of precaution).

The RACGP Infection Prevention and Control Guidelines provide practices with guidance for the planning and implementing of high standards of infection prevention and control in their workplaces by addressing:

Managing risks for staff (including staff screening Immunisation and infection management, sharps, exposure to blood and other body substances)
Managing the practice environment (including cleaning, laundry and waste management)
Managing equipment (including reprocessing reusable medical devices)
Managing outbreaks (including disease surveillance and outbreak response)
Practice setup (including practice design, fit-out, equipment and consumables)