Infection prevention and control in long-term care is not only about responding to outbreaks. It is also about identifying risks early and taking action before they lead to transmission, resident harm, or operational disruption.

In this episode of The Infection Control Exchange Podcast, we explore the role of IPAC risk assessments in long-term care and how a proactive, structured approach can help organizations better understand their vulnerabilities, prioritize improvements, and strengthen their infection prevention and control programs.

The conversation examines how risk assessments can support decision-making across multiple areas of long-term care, including the physical environment, staff practices, resident care activities, cleaning and disinfection, hand hygiene, PPE access, outbreak preparedness, policies, education, and ongoing monitoring.

Topics discussed include:

• The purpose of an IPAC risk assessment
• Identifying vulnerabilities before they become larger problems
• Assessing staff practices and workflows
• Environmental and infrastructure risks
• Hand hygiene and PPE availability
• Cleaning and disinfection
• Resident care activities
• Outbreak preparedness
• Education, policies, and monitoring
• Using risk assessment findings to prioritize improvement

A strong IPAC risk assessment is more than a checklist. It is an opportunity to look closely at how care is actually delivered, where gaps may exist, and what actions can have the greatest impact on resident and staff safety.

Recorded on-site as part of the IPAC Conference Episode Series from the IPAC Canada National Education Conference in Toronto, Ontario.

Hosted by Wayne Tucker, Founder and Host of The Infection Control Exchange Podcast.

The Infection Control Exchange Podcast is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, YouTube, and other major podcast platforms.