Infection prevention and control in paediatric office settings

Abstract

Correspondence: Canadian Paediatric Society, 100-2305 St Laurent Blvd, Ottawa, Ontario K1G 4J8. E-mail info@cps.ca, website www.cps.ca All Canadian Paediatric Society position statements and practice points are reviewed regularly and revised as needed. Consult the Position Statements section of the CPS website www.cps.ca/en/documents for the most current version. Retired statements are removed from the website. AbstractTransmission of infection in the paediatric office is an issue of increasing concern. This document discusses routes of transmission of infection and the principles of current infection control measures. Prevention includes appropriate office design and administrative policies, triage, routine practices for the care of all patients (e.g., hand hygiene; use of gloves, masks, eye protection, and gowns for specific procedures; adequate cleaning, disinfection, and sterilization of surfaces and equipment, including toys; and aseptic technique for invasive procedures), and additional precautions for specific infections. Personnel should be adequately immunized, and those infected should follow work-restriction policies.

Enterococcal contamination of hospital environments in KwaZulu‐Natal, South Africa

“…The continuous movement of active children outside of their allocated beds within the wards, as observed during sampling, could also facilitate the spread of microbial contamination in this ward. Behavioural personalities of children/infants, such as regular mouthing of hands and objects, and drooling and sharing of toys with each other while playing, may also facilitate the spread of contamination (Moore, 2018).…”

Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice of Nurseries' Workers toward Infection Prevention among the Children

“…(2) Behavioral characteristics such as incontinence or inadequate hygiene, frequent mouthing of hands and toys or other objects, drooling, and direct contact among children during play facilitate the spread of infection. (3) Over recent decades, the number of children in collective out-ofhome daycare has increased significantly worldwide. The impact of this situation is manifest in the behavior of infectious diseases in the community, in the form of increased risk of acquiring infectious diseases to which those involved in this care are exposed, which is widely recognized as a public health problem.…”