Infection Control Standard of Practice PDF
Standard
The physiotherapist complies with infection prevention and control measures to support the health and safety of clients, health-care providers, her/himself, and others.
Expected outcome
Clients can expect that the measures in place for infection prevention and control during the provision of physiotherapy services are in compliance with applicable legislation, regulatory requirements, standards, and guidelines.
Performance expectations
The physiotherapist:
- Acquires the education, training, and proficiency to apply infection prevention and control techniques in physiotherapy practice (e.g., when needling, suctioning).
- Adheres to best practices of infection prevention and control in physiotherapy practice according to applicable legislation, regulatory requirements, standards, and guidelines.
- Maintains the cleanliness of all spaces, equipment, and devices according to appropriate legislation, infection prevention and control standards/policies, and manufacturer’s recommendations.
- Documents details of reprocessing and sterilization of reusable medical equipment detailing parameters used to meet requirements outlined in Alberta Health’s Standards for Cleaning, Disinfection and Sterilization of Reusable Medical Devices for Health-care Facilities and Settings, and retains this documentation for five (5) years.
- Disposes of devices and materials according to best practices and established protocols.
- Uses routine practices (e.g., hand washing, point-of-care risk assessment, use of personal protective equipment) to minimize or prevent the spread of acquired infections in the health-care setting.
