title: Summary of guidelines for infection prevention and control for flexible gastrointestinal endoscopy.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  High-quality processes to ensure infection prevention and control in the delivery of safe endoscopy services are essential. In 2010, the Public Health Agency of Canada and the Canadian Association of Gastroenterology (CAG) developed a Canadian guideline for the reprocessing of flexible gastrointestinal endoscopy equipment.
  
  
  METHODS
  The CAG Endoscopy Committee carefully reviewed the 2010 guidelines and prepared an executive summary.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Key elements relevant to infection prevention and control for flexible gastrointestinal endoscopy were highlighted for each of the recommendations included in the 2010 document. The 2010 guidelines consist of seven sections, including administrative recommendations, as well as recommendations for endoscopy and endoscopy decontamination equipment, reprocessing endoscopes and accessories, endoscopy unit design, quality management, outbreak investigation and management, and classic and variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The recommendations for infection prevention and control for flexible gastrointestinal endoscopy are intended for all individuals with responsibility for endoscopes in all settings where endoscopy is performed.
authors.affiliation: Division of Gastroenterology, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada. hookeyl@hdh.kari.net
authors.forename: Lawrence
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Hookey
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Armstrong
authors.forename: Rob
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Enns
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Matlow
authors.forename: Harminder
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Singh
authors.forename: Jonathan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Love
mesh_terms: D002170:Canada; D003666:Decontamination / Q000379:methods; D020776:Endoscopes, Gastrointestinal; D016099:Endoscopy, Gastrointestinal / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D004866:Equipment Contamination; D004867:Equipment Design; D005762:Gastroenterology; D006801:Humans; D017053:Infection Control / Q000379:methods*; D007239:Infections / Q000209:etiology; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D012955:Societies, Medical