Veterinary Practice Infection Control Annual Audit Checklist
Veterinary hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) can be fatal to immunocompromised patients. This annual audit evaluates your infection control program's effectiveness against AAHA and AVMA standards.
- Industry: Veterinary
- Frequency: Annual
- Estimated Time: 60-90 minutes
- Role: Infection Control Officer / Practice Owner
- Total Items: 36
Infection Control Program Infrastructure
Verify infection control program infrastructure is in place.
- Designated Infection Control Officer with defined responsibilities?
- Written infection control program document reviewed and updated annually?
- All staff completed infection control training within past year?
- Active surveillance for hospital-acquired infections in place?
- Outbreak response protocol documented and tested?
- Annual program effectiveness review completed?
Hand Hygiene Compliance Audit
Audit staff hand hygiene compliance.
- Handwashing sinks with soap and paper towels in all clinical areas?
- Alcohol-based hand rub (ABHR) dispensers at point-of-care locations?
- Compliance audit: >80% of staff performing hand hygiene before and after patient contact?
- Staff trained on 5 moments of hand hygiene (before/after touch, before procedure, after exposure)?
- Staff understand gloves supplement but do not replace hand hygiene?
- Staff using soap and water for Clostridium difficile and parvovirus (ABHR insufficient)?
Antimicrobial Stewardship
Evaluate antimicrobial prescribing practices.
- Culture and sensitivity testing recommended before empiric antibiotic choice?
- Perioperative antibiotic prophylaxis protocol established and followed?
- Antibiotics not prescribed routinely for viral infections?
- MRSA/MRSP detection and decolonization protocol in place?
- Antibiotic prescribing records reviewed for stewardship compliance?
- Antimicrobial formulary or prescribing guidelines available to clinicians?
Disinfectant Efficacy Validation
Verify disinfectants are appropriate and correctly used.
- Disinfectants selected match pathogen spectrum for veterinary use?
- Contact times posted or documented for each disinfectant used?
- Dilution verification method in place (test strips, titration) for mixed disinfectants?
- Parvocidal disinfectant available for use when parvovirus cases are admitted?
- Staff pre-cleaning surfaces before disinfection (organic load removal)?
- Disinfectant product selection reviewed annually for efficacy and safety?
Surgical Site Infection Surveillance
Review surgical site infection rates.
- Surgical site infection rate tracked by procedure type?
- SSI rate below benchmark (typically <5% for clean surgeries)?
- Any SSI clusters investigated for common cause?
- Aseptic technique compliance audited in surgery?
- Any sterilization failures investigated and addressed?
- Post-operative infection surveillance performed at 30 days?
Documentation
Verify infection control documentation.
- Annual infection control report completed?
- Staff training records for infection control current?
- Any outbreak records documented and response reviewed?
- Infection control documentation ready for AAHA accreditation review?
- Improvement plan from previous year's audit implemented?
- Next annual audit scheduled?
Related Veterinary Checklists
- Veterinary Practice Zoonotic Disease Surveillance and Staff Health Checklist
- Veterinary Practice Zoonotic Disease Surveillance and Staff Health Checklist
- Veterinary ICU Patient Monitoring and Critical Care Checklist
- Large Animal Veterinary Practice Safety and Handling Checklist
- Feline Low-Stress Handling and Fear-Free Examination Checklist
- Veterinary Pharmacy Controlled Drug Storage and Dispensing Checklist
Related Infection Control Checklists
Why Use This Veterinary Practice Infection Control Annual Audit Checklist?
This veterinary practice infection control annual audit checklist helps veterinary teams maintain compliance and operational excellence. Designed for infection control officer / practice owner professionals, this checklist covers 36 critical inspection points across 6 sections. Recommended frequency: annual.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the Veterinary Practice Infection Control Annual Audit Checklist cover?
This checklist covers 36 inspection items across 6 sections: Infection Control Program Infrastructure, Hand Hygiene Compliance Audit, Antimicrobial Stewardship, Disinfectant Efficacy Validation, Surgical Site Infection Surveillance, Documentation. It is designed for veterinary operations and compliance.
How often should this checklist be completed?
This checklist should be completed annual. Each completion takes approximately 60-90 minutes.
Who should use this Veterinary Practice Infection Control Annual Audit Checklist?
This checklist is designed for Infection Control Officer / Practice Owner professionals in the veterinary industry. It can be used for self-assessments, team audits, and regulatory compliance documentation.
Can I download this checklist as a PDF?
Yes, this checklist is available as a free PDF download. You can also use it digitally in the POPProbe mobile app for real-time data capture, photo documentation, and automatic reporting.