Setting-specific guidelines
Last updated on September 2, 2026Information on preventing and controlling infections in different health care and community care settings.
On this page
- All health care facilities
- Acute care and ambulatory care
- Home and community care
- Long-term care and seniors' assisted living homes
- Primary care and community health providers
- Emergency evacuation
- Industrial camps
- Personal services
All health care facilities
Find guidelines that all health care staff and facility operators can use to prevent the spread of infectious diseases.
- For infection prevention and control (IPC) resources on routine practices, including point-of-care risk assessments, hand hygiene and personal protective equipment, visit the policies and best practices page
- For IPC recommendations and resources based on specific organisms, visit the pathogens page
Acute care and ambulatory care
Learn about IPC in hospital acute care and ambulatory care settings, including emergency departments.
- Viral Respiratory Illness (VRI) in Acute Care and Ambulatory Health Care Settings (Provincial Infection Control Network of British Columbia - PICNet) (PDF, 644KB)
- Outbreak Guidance for VRI in Acute Care Settings (PICNet) (PDF, 724KB)
Home and community care
Learn about ways to prevent the spread of infections for clients receiving care at home.
Long-term care and seniors' assisted living homes
Read more about guidelines to prevent infections among seniors in facility settings.
- Guidance for VRI in Long-Term Care and Seniors' Assisted Living Settings (PICNet) (PDF, 659KB)
- Outbreak Guidance for VRI in Long-Term Care Settings in British Columbia (PICNet) (PDF, 659KB)
Primary care and community health providers
Find recommendations on preventing infections at family doctors’, nurse practitioners’ offices and other community-based clinics.
- Guidance for VRI for Primary Care Practitioners and Community-Based Health Care Providers in Clinic Settings (PICNet) (PDF, 571KB)
- Guidelines for Preventing VRI in Community Immunization Clinics (PICNet) (PDF, 807KB)
Emergency evacuation
Learn about IPC during emergency evacuations.
- Guidance for Communicable Diseases during Emergency Evacuations (PDF, 410KB)
- Considerations for Establishing a Temporary Health Care Area in Evacuation Centres (PDF, 311KB)
Industrial camps
Learn about ways operators and employees can prevent the spread of infections in industrial camps.
- Guidelines for Industrial Camps Regulation - October 1, 2017 (PDF, 837KB)
- For more information on provincial regulations and requirements that operators must follow, visit the Industrial camps page
Personal services
Find best practices for infection prevention and control in personal service establishments like hairdressing, tattooing and body modification.
- Personal service providers operating in communities should follow the Guidelines for Personal Service Establishments - November 2017 (PDF, 939KB)
- Personal service providers working in a health authority facility should refer to provincial requirements and recommendations for medical device reprocessing
- For guidelines on other personal services, including procedures at tradeshows, body modifications, laser hair removal and microblading, visit the personal service establishment and major events page