Guidelines for infection control in health care facilities
| Title | Description | Issued date |
|---|---|---|
| Infection Prevention and Control Recommendations: Mpox Interim Guideline (PDF 166 kB) | guidance for reducing occupational exposure risk of mpox transmission in healthcare settings. | November 2024 |
| Management of patients with Clostridioides (Clostridium) difficile infection (CDI) (PDF, 137KB) | provides steps for the management of Queensland Health patients diagnosed with Clostridioides (Clostridium) difficile infection (CDI). | May 2024 |
| Legionella patient exposure management response | provides information to facilitate an effective response for patient management if Legionella is detected in the water supply. | April 2025 |
| Management of exposures to blood and body fluids (PDF 1479 kB) | provides the minimum recommended procedures for the immediate assessment, management and follow-up of individuals who have been exposed (or suspect they have been exposed) to blood borne viruses, and recommendations for initiation of post-exposure prophylaxis in occupational settings. | December 2024 |
| Surgical skin disinfection guideline (PDF, 159KB) | provides an overview of surgical skin preparation and the rationale for the selection and use of skin disinfection within the operating suite. | December 2015 |
| Vaccination of healthcare workers (PDF 660 kB) |
provides information to support Queensland Health in the development and implementation of a workforce vaccination program in accordance with national guidelines and the Health service directive: Vaccine preventable disease screening for contractors, students and volunteers. It also provides advice on acceptable forms of evidence confirming vaccination or that an individual is not susceptible to the specified vaccine preventable diseases (VPDs). Appendix 1 - Short risk categorisation table (PDF 51 kB) Appendix 2 - Vaccination requirements for role risk categories (PDF 56 kB) Appendix 3 - Acceptable VPD evidence (PDF 96 kB) Appendix 4 - Minimum vaccination requirements prior to commencement (PDF 24 kB) Appendix 5 - Vaccine preventable diseases evidence form (applicant) (PDF 103 kB) Appendix 6 - Vaccine preventable diseases certification form (gp) (PDF 83 kB) Appendix 7 - Further information about the vaccine preventable diseases (PDF 134 kB) Appendix 8 - Fact sheet: Vaccination requirements for Contractors and Agency Workers (PDF 97 kB) Appendix 9 - Fact sheet: Vaccination requirements for students (PDF 57 kB) Appendix 10 - Fact sheet: Vaccination requirements for volunteers (PDF 65 kB) Appendix 11 - Fact sheet: for education providers and student placement supervisors (PDF 96 kB) Appendix 12 - Information for Queensland Health procurement workers (PDF 71 kB) | September 2024 |
| Health Facilities Communicable Disease Outbreak Preparedness, Readiness, Response and Recovery (PDF 822 kB) | provides recommendations regarding best practice for managing outbreaks of communicable disease (whether notifiable or not) in Queensland Health facilities. | November 2022 |
| Management of multi-resistant organisms (MROs) (PDF, 195KB) | provides recommendations regarding best practice to support the prevention and management of multi-resistant organisms (MROs) in health care facilities. | June 2023 |
| Bare Below the Elbows (PDF, 65KB) | provides recommendations to support the application of programs for bare below the elbows for the enhancement of effective hand hygiene by healthcare workers. | May 2024 |
| Healthcare associated infection surveillance - INTERIM (PDF, 57KB) | informs Queensland Health staff of the recommended minimum requirements for the surveillance of healthcare associated infections (HAI), and related data. | January 2025 |
| Recommendations for the prevention of infection in intra-vascular device (IVD) | Download guidelines and point of care tools for intravascular device management: Appendix 1: Tunnelled CV specific information Appendix 2: PICC specific information Appendix 3: Percutaneous CVC specific information Appendix 4: PORT or Port-a-cath specific information (Totally Implanted Central Venous Access Port) Appendix 5: Haemodialysis catheter specific information Appendix 6: Peripheral intravenous catheter specific information Appendix 7: Staphylococcus aureus bloodstream infection investigation checklist | December 2019 |
| Acute Respiratory Infection - Infection Prevention and Control(PDF 789 kB) | provides infection prevention and control guidance for mananging patients with suspected or confimed acute respiratory illnesses in healthcare settings. | September 2023 |
| Infection prevention and control for the management of Viral Haemorrhagic Fevers (PDF 1171 kB) | provides evidence-based guidance for best practice infection prevention management of patients with suspected or confirmed Viral Haemorrhagic Fevers (VHF, herein referred to as patient/s with VHF) implicated in human-to-human transmission. | February 2024 |
| Candida auris (C. auris) infection prevention and control | contains current best evidence information for acute care facilities with special considerations for residential care facilities. | |
| Construction, redevelopment and the built environment (PDF 572 kB) | guideline for redevelopment activities, including new builds to include features that support good IPC practices and remove IPC risks that may cause harm. | November 2024 |
Explanatory note: A guideline is a document that aims to streamline particular processes according to a set routine. By definition, following a guideline is never mandatory. Guidelines are an essential part of the larger process of governance. These guidelines are based on a review of evidence by experts who reach a consensus on practical approaches to diagnosis, management or treatment. Their aim is to standardise medical care, to raise the quality of care and to reduce several kinds of risk. Guidelines may be used by any facility to make the actions of its employees or departments more predictable, and presumably of higher quality.