Revised guidelines on infection prevention and control obligations for podiatrists take effect today

04 Apr 2016

The Podiatry Board of Australia’s revised guidelines on infection prevention and control take effect today.

The revised guidelines, which describe the obligations of registered podiatrists and podiatric surgeons with respect to infection prevention and control were published on 10 March to give practitioners time to become familiar with the new guidelines before they commenced.

The Board has made minimal changes to the guidelines and is continuing to adopt the National Health and Medical Research Council Australian guidelines for the prevention and control of infection in healthcare (NHMRC guidelines). The NHMRC guidelines were developed using best available evidence and aim to promote and facilitate the overall goal of infection prevention and control.

Practitioners must be familiar with and practise within the recommendations of the NHMRC guidelines as they apply to the practice setting(s) in which they work.

Effective infection prevention and control is central to providing high quality care for patients and a safe working environment for those that work in healthcare settings. The Board expects podiatrists and podiatric surgeons to practise in a way that maintains and enhances public health and safety by ensuring that the risk of the spread of infection is prevented or minimised.

The Board has developed and published a self-audit tool that practitioners may choose to use to see how well they comply with the Board’s guidelines on infection prevention and control. The tool serves as a checklist to help practitioners ensure that their workplace is clean and hygienic and they are taking the necessary practicable steps to prevent or minimise the spread of infection.