Guidance Documents

The guidance documents below provide a broad overview of infection prevention and control practices for various congregate living settings. These documents include best practice, guidelines, and print-ready resources from various evidence-based sources of IPAC information. These documents are meant to guide decision-making for specific topics, training, and education.

Best Practices for Infection Prevention and Control Programs in Ontario: In All Health Care Settings

This resource provides a broad overview of the requirements and recommendations for infection prevention and control programs in all healthcare settings. This document includes topics such as healthcare-associated infections, the structure of an IPAC program, the functions of an IPAC program, and additional resources for IPAC program guidance.

IPAC Canada: Infection Prevention and Control (IPAC) Program Standard

This IPAC program standard is targeted to senior leaders engaged with the IPAC program in the health care organization and IPAC program staff, to use as a resource.

Infection Prevention and Control : Core Competencies

Looking to build or expand your knowledge in IPAC best practices? Check out PHO’s courses on IPAC core competencies and reprocessing, as well as specialized knowledge for different environments, including hospitals, community health care settings, and long-term care homes.

Healthcare Huddles: IPAC Checkpoints

This resource is designed for infection prevention and control leads at long-term care homes and other congregate settings, such as retirement homes, to assist them with providing reminders of key IPAC information at shift-change meetings or huddles, especially for new employees.

Prevention and Management of COVID-19

Public Health Ontario's webpage for the prevention and management of COVID-19. This webpage includes resources related to Handwashing, Personal Etiquette, Masks, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), Prevention for Specific Populations, Signs and Symptoms, Tests and Results, Exposure, and Vaccines for COVID-19.

COVID-19 - Guidance Resources for Health Sectors

Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care COVID-19 guidance documents created for various health sector settings. These include guidance documents for acute care, home care, mental health and additions facilities, long-term care homes, retirement homes, workplaces, schools, and signage for these settings as well.

Key Features of Influenza SARS-CoV-2 and Other Common Respiratory Viruses

This document provides a high-level overview of the key features of the following common respiratory viruses that may circulate over the course of the respiratory virus season (fall to early spring): • influenza • SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) • respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) • rhinovirus

Resources for Routine Practices and Additional Precautions

This document outlines the practice of Routine Practices and Additional Precautions (RP/AP) in health care settings across the continuum of care including, but not limited to, pre-hospital care, acute care, complex continuing care, rehabilitation facilities, long-term care, chronic care, ambulatory care and home health care.

Guide to developing your COVID-19 workplace safety plan

This guide will help you use current public health and workplace health and safety information to develop a plan and put controls into place to help make the workplace safer for everyone. As an employer it’s your responsibility under the Occupational Health and Safety Act to take every precaution reasonable in the circumstances to protect a worker.

Recommendations for Prevention, Detection, and Management of Occupational Contact Dermatitis in Health Care Settings

This document provides a series of recommendations for the prevention, early detection and management of occupational contact dermatitis in health care workers (HCWs).