APIC/CHICA-Canada infection control and epidemiology: Professional and practice standards

The Professional and Practice Standards document was developed by the Pract ice Standards Task Force, which was appointed by the Boards of the Associat ion for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc (APIC) and Community and Hospital Infection Control Association-Canada (CHICA-Canada) . The Task Force was appointed in 1997 to develop practice standards for th e infection control profession, because no such document previously existed . The APIC and CHICA-Canada boards recognized that without written standard s of professional practice, regulatory and accrediting agencies and health care consulting firms have no written reference from which to define infect ion control competency. The document was developed with input from APIC and CHICA-Canada membership. Both organizations used extensive methods to obta in input from all members. The document is in 2 sections and addresses infection prevention and contro l practices as well as professional standards for the infection control pro fessional. It can be used by infection control professionals to demonstrate value as professionals and to define and demonstrate the value of their in fection control program.