Infection Prevention and Control In the Physician's Office

The Standards Committee of The College of Physicians & Surgeons of Manitoba recommends using The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO) guideline Infection Prevention and Control for Clinical Office Practice as a resource for our physicians.

The College of Physicians & Surgeons of Manitoba gratefully acknowledges the permission of the CPSO to circulate the guideline to physicians licensed and practising in Manitoba.

Medical institutions have Infection Control Committees, and a proper infection control infrastructure is required to meet hospital accreditation standards. In contrast, the intent of these requirements has not consistently been realized in office practices. The public’s expectation for high standards of medical practice must be considered. The face of infection control is rapidly changing with new infections being described, more outpatient procedures being performed, new products and medical equipment being manufactured, and new standards, directives and guidelines being developed by provincial, national and international organizations.

This 2015 edition of Infection Prevention and Control for Clinical Office Practice is as comprehensive as possible, including new and updated information, as well as issues physicians should consider when setting up a new office. The CPSO has created algorithms to simplify comprehension and implementation of the guidelines, and other visuals that can be posted in the office as required. The goal is to educate the medical community on current infection control practices necessary for an office practice. By doing this, the standard of practice in health care will be elevated and the public protected by minimizing the risk of infection transmission. We hope that this guideline will be a useful tool, a handy reference to provide you with a framework and practical information to prevent the transmission of infection to patients, visitors, health care workers and other employees associated with your clinical practice.

Click here to access Infection Prevention and Control for Clinical Office Practice on the College of Physicians & Surgeons of Ontario website.