PREPARED BY: Infectious Disease Prevention
DATE: 2025-02-06
SUBJECT: IPAC HUB
BACKGROUND/PURPOSE
As part of the Ontario government's initiative of Keeping Ontarians Safe, local networks, called IPAC Hubs, of infection prevention and control (IPAC) expertise have been developed to enhance IPAC practices in community-based, congregate living facilities. Examples of facilities include (but are not limited to) long-term care and retirement homes, shelters, group homes, and supportive housing. Facilities can access IPAC expertise, collaborative assistance, just-in-time advice, general guidance and direct support on IPAC practices for both prevention and response.
DISCUSSION
The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit (WECHU) IPAC Hub provides support to 102 facilities in Windsor and Essex County (WEC) – 19 are long-term care homes, 38 are retirement homes, and 45 are other congregate living settings. Of the 45 congregate living settings, 28 are Community Living facilities, with 2 head offices (Windsor and Essex) and 26 individual supported living houses.
As of December 31, 2024, 1,475 services were delivered to WEC facilities. Services were received and/or delivered via phone, email or through drop-in visits. The IPAC Hubs provide a variety of services including:
- Education and training.
- Hosting Community of Practice meetings that support information sharing, learning and networking.
- Aiding in the development of IPAC programs, policies, and procedures.
- Supporting assessments of facility IPAC practices.
- Providing mentoring of IPAC service delivery.
- Working with public health partners and congregate living settings to develop outbreak management plans.
Overall, 116 onsite visits1 were made to WEC facilities. The purpose of the onsite visits was to make connections with each facility and assess their IPAC-related knowledge to identify any gaps which would lead to more tailored interventions.
Ten IPAC resources were created/updated for WEC facilities. These resources include:
- Outbreak Quick Guide for Long-term Care and Retirement Homes (Version 4.0) document
- Infection Prevention and Control (IPAC) and Outbreak Management in Congregate Living Settings document
- The Steps to Outbreak Management overview page
- Outbreak Declaration Criteria summary page
- Outbreak Management Activities by Outbreak Type table
- Respiratory and Enteric Outbreak Management Checklists
- Final Respiratory Reporting Form
- IPAC Hub information brochure
- Algorithm for the Use of Antivirals for Prevention and Treatment of Residents during Influenza Outbreaks
- Respiratory Season Fact Sheet for residents/patients/people supported by settings
In response to the facility need for tailored and customized service delivery resources, the IPAC Hub focused on revitalizing its website. The goal was to present more comprehensive and inclusive information that meets the needs of all congregate settings, which in turn would strengthen the relationship between the WECHU and community partners. The updated website can be viewed here: WECHU IPAC Hub website
In 2024, seven Community of Practice (CoP) meetings were held for WEC facilities. The topics covered included antimicrobial resistance, strategies to shorten the duration of outbreaks, a review of potential outbreak scenarios, the importance of monitoring and evaluating IPAC practices, as well as processes and procedures related to waste management and environmental cleaning. The average attendee count was 25-30 individuals from various WEC facilities.
On October 29, 2024, the IPAC Hub hosted its annual workshop. The goal of this workshop was to teach and share knowledge about the basic IPAC principles that are key to infection and outbreak prevention and control. In total, there were 63 attendees (54 from various facilities and 9 WECHU attendees). The post-evaluation survey showed that 100% of respondents (45) were satisfied/very satisfied with the workshop, were confident with IPAC principles, agreed that they gained valuable knowledge about IPAC and the latest outbreak guidance, and that the materials and case studies presented were relevant to their workplace.
Throughout the year, the IPAC Hub encountered some challenges and barriers, such as decreased facility engagement, frequent staff turnover in many congregate living settings, gaps in IPAC knowledge and training in facility staff, and issues with effective assessment and evaluation of IPAC-related knowledge and procedures within facilities. The goal in the upcoming year is to overcome these challenges by redefining CoP meetings, customizing and updating resources, and focusing on individualised CLS assessments.
- Multiple visits were made to some facilities, depending on the need (e.g., ongoing outbreaks etc.).