Infection Prevention and Control: The watchdog to the pandemic

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The "watchdog" of the pandemic, IPAC carefully monitored H1N1 activity—numbers of reported cases, ER volumes, inpatient status reports and the number of staff off sick. The team was a consultant to other UHN departments throughout the pandemic planning process and liaised with outside agencies to keep abreast of trends within the community.

IPAC educated staff and volunteers about H1N1. With information changing on a daily basis, the team ensured that UHN was kept up to date. IPAC also handled dozens of media requests and provided expert advice on H1N1 issues. 

Lessons from IPAC:

• It was extremely beneficial to work with community groups such as Toronto Academic Health Sciences Network (TAHSN), the Local Health Integration Networks (LHIN) and the Ontario Agency for Health Promotion and Protection (OAHPP) to ensure that messages remained consistent and up to date.

• The best way to know what's goi​ng on in the front lines is for IPAC and front line staff to liaise directly and not just through monitoring data.

• Real-time feedback is essential.​​

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