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Infection Control in Practice

Infection Prevention and Control (IPAC) Complaint Protocol in Clinical Office Settings

In January 2018, the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care released the Infection Prevention and Control Complaint Protocol. Under this protocol, health units are mandated to initiate an investigation of all complaints related to infection prevention and control (IPAC) in clinical office settings to assess the risk of transmission of infectious diseases, and to determine the appropriate Board of Health response.

Since Regulated Health Professionals do not receive regular inspections by public health, we would like to share some information about the Infection Prevention and Control lapse complaint process. An Infection Prevention and Control lapse is defined as a deviation from Infection Prevention and Control standards of care that has or may result in infectious disease transmission to clients, attendees or staff of a clinical office setting.

If the Health Unit receives a complaint regarding Infection Prevention and Control practices in your office, an investigation will commence within 24 hours of receiving the complaint. The investigation consists of a site visit by a Public Health Inspector and Certified Infection Control Specialist who will:

  • Conduct a risk assessment to identify if an Infection Prevention and Control lapse has occurred
  • Interview and observe staff directly involved in Infection Prevention and Control practices
  • Review relevant documentation including Infection Prevention and Control policies/procedures, and records/logs (i.e. environmental cleaning, routine practices, and reprocessing)

Listed below are Infection Prevention and Control standards of care documents from the Provincial Infectious Diseases Advisory Committee (PIDAC), Public Health Ontario (PHO), and the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, that you can use to evaluate the Infection Prevention and Control practices in your office.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us and we will be happy to assist you.

For more information regarding infection prevention and control (IPAC) complaints, please visit the Infection Control Complaints section of our website.