Establishing an Effective Infection Prevention and Control Program: The Starting Point

There are many components of an effective infection prevention and control program. The IPC risk assessment is the starting point for creating an IPC program. A risk assessment is used to identify important infection control issues in your organization and determine goals to include in your infection prevention and control plan. Per The Joint Commission, an annual infection prevention and control (IPC) risk assessment is required to define programmatic goals and objectives and to provide a framework for identifying gaps in services, safety or data as well as tracking progress in meeting specific goals. Today, we are joined by Janet Chance, Director of Infection Prevention, Accreditation, Quality at Cullman Regional Medical Center, and Meredith Lutz, Chief Quality Officer, Medical West Hospital Authority, to discuss risk assessment and planning for infection prevention and control specialists.