Infection prevention and control: Guideline for speech pathologists, Version 1,2020.

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A Combination of Controls Applied to Workplace Health and Safety Infection protection for staff should be an integral part of the infection prevention and control and occupational health and safety programs of every healthcare practice. Suggested elimination, engineering and administrative controls to support staff include: • Elimination controls o Speech pathologists need to consider their health or vulnerability status and that of close contacts before interacting with clients or colleagues. o Speech pathologists should not go to work if they feel unwell or have any signs or symptoms of a potentially infectious agent. o Early recognition of infection status and identifying at-risk clients and staff is important for risk minimisation. • Administrative controls o If a speech pathologist has a confirmed or suspected infectious agent, it is essential for the individual to:  consult a medical practitioner as soon as possible to determine safe work practices to minimise putting clients and other workers at risk  undergo regular medical follow-up and comply with the informed clinical management of the presenting condition  Inform their employer as appropriate. Engineering controls o The Australian Immunisation Handbook recommends that all health practitioners are vaccinated and remain up-to-date with the vaccinations required for their workplace or practice setting (See Table 2) 31 o Mandatory health practitioner vaccination and screening programs are outlined by state or territory health authorities and/or Commonwealth legislation. •

Table 2: Recommended Vaccinations for all Health Practitioners

Health practitioners

Disease/Vaccine

All health practitioners (includes all practitioners and students directly in- volved in client care or the handling of human tissues, blood or body fluids) • • • • Health practitioners who work with remote Indigenous communities in Northern Territory, Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia; and other specified health practitioners in some jurisdictions • • Health practitioners who may be at a high risk of ex- posure to drug-resistant cases of tuberculosis (depen- dent on state or territory guidelines) • • •

Hepatitis B Influenza

Pertussis (dTpa)

MMR (if non-immune) Varicella (if non-immune) Vaccines listed for ‘All health practitioners’

Hepatitis A

Vaccines listed for ‘All health practitioners’ Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine

Adapted from NHMRC Guidelines 9

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Infection Prevention and Control - Guideline for Speech Pathologists | Version 1, 2020