Framework and toolkit for infection prevention and control in outbreak preparedness, readiness and response at the health care facility level

Overview

Infectious disease outbreaks and epidemics are increasing in frequency, scale and impact. Health care facilities can amplify the transmission of emerging infectious diseases or multidrug-resistant organisms (MDRO) within their settings and communities. Therefore, evidence-based infection prevention and control (IPC) measures in health care facilities are critical for preventing and containing outbreaks, while still delivering safe, effective and quality health care.

This toolkit is intended to support IPC improvements for outbreak management in all such facilities, both public and private throughout the health system. Specifically, this document systematically describes a framework of overarching principles to approach the preparedness, readiness and response outbreak management phases. The document also provides a toolkit of resource links to guide specific actions for each infectious disease and/or MDRO outbreak management phase at any health facility. This document is specifically tailored to an audience of stakeholders who establish and monitor health care facility-level IPC programs including: IPC focal points, epidemiologists, public health experts, outbreak response incident managers, facility-level IPC committee(s), safety and quality leads and managers, and other facility level IPC stakeholders.

Objective

To provide stakeholders at health facilities with a set of tools for preparedness, readiness and response to infectious disease and MDRO outbreaks.

1. A practical framework of actions for strengthening IPC outbreak preparation, readiness and response.
2. A toolkit that provides resources to assist in the development of facility-level contingency or action plans to strengthen IPC outbreak preparedness, readiness and response.
   
   This document provides guidance and tools for decision-makers responsible for the establishment and monitoring of health care facility-level IPC programmes, including IPC focal points, epidemiologists, public health experts, or key stakeholders. This document is geared towards outbreak response incident managers and any existing facility-level IPC committee. Other users include safety and quality leads and managers, and others involved in IPC activities.
   The core principles and practices of IPC are common to any facility where health care is delivered, including not only acute care facilities, but also community, primary care and long term care facilities. This toolkit is intended to support IPC improvements for outbreak management throughout the health system, both in the public and private sectors. This framework provides a stepwise approach to IPC outbreak management and the toolkit provides helpful resources. Of note, it is not designed to be an implementation guide.