Performing a Risk Assessment

Before providing any client care and before entering the client’s environment, it is important to perform a risk assessment to determine what routine practices need to be followed to decrease the risk of transmission of microorganisms.

Public Health Ontario (2012) outline key factors related to the risk of transmission that include:

• The client’s infection status/diagnosis.
• Presenting signs and symptoms of the client.
• Type of client care or interaction to be performed.
• Routine practice resources available at the healthcare facility.
• Healthcare provider immunization status.

(Provincial Infectious Diseases Advisory Committee, 2012)

As a healthcare provider, when performing a risk assessment ask yourself the following questions:

Review Public Health Ontario (2012) decision tree on Performing a Risk Assessment related to Routine Practices and Additional Precautions to learn about the steps required by healthcare providers when assessing their risk before providing care (https://www.publichealthontario.ca/-/media/documents/R/2012/rpap-risk-assessment.pdf?la=en).

References

Introduction to Infection Prevention and Control Practices for the Interprofessional Learner by Michelle Hughes, Audrey Kenmir, Oona St-Amant, Caitlin Cosgrove, and Grace Sharpe is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.

Provincial Infectious Diseases Advisory Committee, Ontario Agency for Health Protection and Promotion. (2012). Routine practices and additional precautions in all health care settings (3rd ed.).  Public Health Ontario. https://www.publichealthontario.ca/-/media/documents/B/2012/bp-rpap-healthcare-settings.pdf?la=en