Volume: 25S4 - July 1999

Routine Practices and Additional Precautions for Preventing the Transmission of Infection in Health Care

Revision of Isolation and Precaution Techniques

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Introductory Statement

The primary objective in developing clinical guidelines at the national level is to help health care professionals improve the quality of health care. Guidelines for the control of infection are needed to assist in developing policies, procedures and evaluative mechanisms to ensure an optimal level of care. Guidelines, by definition, are directing principles and indications or outlines of policy or conduct, which should not be regarded as rigid standards. Guidelines facilitate the setting of standards but respect the autonomy of each institution and recognize the governing body's authority and responsibility of ensuring the quality of resident care provided by the institution.

The guidelines, whenever possible, have been based on research findings. There are some aspects about which there is insufficient published research, and consensus of experts in the field has therefore been used to provide guidelines specific to conventional practice.

The information in these guidelines was current at the time of publication; it should be emphasized that areas of knowledge and aspects of medical technology advance with time. Both encouragement of research and frequent revision and updating to keep pace with advances in the field are necessary if guidelines are to achieve the purpose for which they have been developed.

The Steering Committee acknowledges, with sincere appreciation, the many practising health professionals and others who contributed advice and information to this endeavour. Health Canada is especially appreciative of the time and expertise contributed by the Subcommittee, which worked diligently and successfully to develop these extensive guidelines: Dr. Dorothy Moore (Chair), Karen Green, Dr. B. Lynn Johnston, Linda Kingsbury, Catherine Mindorff, Deborah Norton, Laurie O'Neil, Shirley Paton, Diane Phippen, and Yolaine Rioux.

The guidelines outlined herein are part of a series that has been developed over a period of years under the guidance of the Steering Committee on Infection Control Guidelines. Infection Control Guidelines: Routine Practices and Additional Precautions for Preventing the Transmission of Infection in Health Care (revision of Infection Control Guidelines Isolation and Precaution Techniques) presents the principles necessary to prevent the transmission of microorganisms from patient to patient across the continuum of care. Transmission principles, routine practices and additional precautions are outlined for acute care, long term care, ambulatory care and home care settings.

This document is part of the Health Canada series of Infection Control Guidelines and is intended to be used with the other Infection Control Guidelines.

For information regarding other Infection Control Guidelines, contact:

Division of Nosocomial and Occupational Infections
Bureau of Infectious Diseases
Laboratory Centre for Disease Control
Health Canada, PL 0603E1
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0L2
Tel.: (613) 952-9875
Fax: (613) 998-6413

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