CIPHI Seminar Series - Navigating Uncharted Territory: The experience of Public Health Inspectors in Clinical IPAC Audits

Infection Prevention and Control (IPAC) work is being conducted by Certified Public Health Inspectors (CPHIs) in Ontario Public Health Units.  This is due in large part to the current IPAC Practices Complaint Protocol requiring PHUs to investigate all IPAC related complaints in the community. While CPHIs have the unique and valuable skills in IPAC and risk assessment necessary to lead IPAC investigations, this protocol has expanded the roles of the CPHI to working in the unfamiliar clinical environments of Regulated Health Professionals. Additionally, it has highlighted the need for greater resources and training in IPAC for CPHIs.

In the summer of 2016, Hamilton Public Health Services began the process of auditing its internal clinical services. The initial purpose of the audits was to address potential risk to the City from IPAC lapse complaints and ensure clinics were in compliance with IPAC best practices. However, in addition, the audits provided the unique opportunity for hands-on training of CPHIs in a variety of clinical settings. The objective of this presentation is to share the experiences of Hamilton’s CPHIs in preparing for and conducting internal IPAC audits of clinical services and the role it has played in preparing them for community IPAC lapse complaints.

During this presentation, Hamilton Public Health Services will demonstrate experiences, challenges, and lessons learned in setting internal goals and expectations around IPAC, managing resource demand for conducting a comprehensive internal audit, describe challenges faced by CPHIs in conducting the audits, CPHI needs in preparing for audits, audit outcomes, and future directions post-audit. 

Given the new provincial criteria for handling IPAC lapse complaints, including disclosure, it is important for public health units to prepare for response to these IPAC complaints, ensure CPHIs feel confident working in clinical settings and are prepared to competently lead IPAC investigations in the community.