Guidelines for preventing respiratory illness in older adults aged 60 years and above living in long-term care: A rapid review of clinical practice guidelines

Patricia Rios; Amruta Radhakrishnan; Sonia M. Thomas; Nazia Darvesh; Sharon E. Straus; Andrea C. Tricco

Chairperson (Facility Director, Manager, or Nursing Manager) The chairperson is responsible for co-ordinating outbreak control meetings, setting meeting times, agenda and delegating tasks. Secretary The secretary organises OMT meetings, notifies committee members of any changes, and records and distributes minutes of meetings. Outbreak Coordinator (Nurse / Infection Control Practitioner or delegate) The coordinator ensures that all infection control decisions of the OMT are carried out, and coordinates activities required to contain and investigate the outbreak. This role is often given to an Infection Control Practitioner(ICP) or delegate. Media spokesperson/s (Facility Director, or Manager, or delegate) Significant media interest in outbreaks in RCFs is common, especially if there are adverse outcomes. A media spokesperson from the OMT should be designated as the only individual with responsibility to provide information to the media. This media spokesperson is usually a representative from the RCF, but occasionally, can be from the PHU, if involved. In rare situations, there may be joint spokespeople, one from each organisation. Visiting General Practitioners 205 Some GPs may be available to participate in the OMT and their role should be identified during the planning process. It is valuable to identify a clinical lead amongst those GPs who attend a facility. In the management of an outbreak, the role of this person is important in facilitating assessment and management of ill residents, and in working with the RCF and PHU to implement control strategies. Public health authority staff An understanding of what assistance can be provided by the public health authority and role/responsibility clarification should be confirmed at the initial OMT meeting, although it is usually not necessary for PHU staff to be part of the OMT. Refer to Appendix 9 for an outbreak Plan checklist, Appendix 10 for details of OMT tasks and Appendix 11 for an OMT task checklist.