Preventative measures

Preventative measures

Developing and implementing systems with clear lines of accountability and responsibility is part of good governance and the delivery of safety and quality care of patients.

Infection prevention and control measures reduce the risk of infection between persons attending the practice and staff who work there. Measures to help prevent the spread of infection include:

• local infection prevention and control procedures
• Infection prevention and control (IPC) education and training for all practice staff on commencement, when guidelines change and yearly
• standard precautions
• use of PPE
• use of transmission-based precautions
• staff understanding of the role of ventilation in reducing transmission of infectious respiratory infection
• hand hygiene
• provision of sterile instruments
• environmental cleaning
• spills management
• use of perspex screens
• practice team immunisations.

The Department of Health has developed the hierarchy of controls to provide a structured way to approach infection prevention and control. The hierarchy lists different risk avoidance or mitigation strategies in decreasing order of reliability.