New nursing standard on preventing transmission of communicable diseases

​The BCCNM board on Feb. 26, 2026, approved a new Nurses: Preventing Transmission of Communicable Diseases practice standard to support consistent, evidence‑informed infection prevention and control across the nursing professions. The new standard will take effect on April 1, 2026, alongside BCCNM's transition to the Health Professions and Occupations Act (HPOA).

• Review the new standard
  

What's changing

To address inconsistencies and outdated information in existing standards, BCCNM has rescinded two current practice standards and approved a single, updated standard that applies to all nurses:

Rescinded practice standards

• NP & RN Communicable Diseases: Preventing Nurse‑to‑Client Transmission
• LPN Communicable Diseases: Preventing Nurse‑to‑Client Transmission

New practice standard

• Nurses: Preventing Transmission of Communicable Diseases​
  (applies to LPNs, NPs, RNs, and RPNs)

This new practice standard replaces the previous framework and establishes consistent expectations for preventing transmission of communicable diseases across all nursing designations and practice settings.

Why this change was made

Preventing the transmission of communicable diseases is a critical client safety, public health, and workforce issue. While extensive public health legislation, guidance, and employer policies exist, effective prevention depends on the actions of individual nurses and organizations.

A rapid policy analysis identified the need to:

• address inconsistencies between existing nursing standards;

• include registered psychiatric nurses (RPNs), who were previously excluded;

• align nursing expectations with the recently updated midwifery practice standard Preventing Transmission of Blood‑borne Viruses;

• remove outdated content; and

• ensure alignment with right‑touch regulation principles.

Based on this analysis, a single, consolidated practice standard was developed to provide clear, proportionate, and consistent expectations for nurses.

About the new practice standard

The Nurses: Preventing Transmission of Communicable Diseases practice standard:

• sets clear expectations for nurses to reduce the risk of transmitting communicable diseases to clients;

• aligns with public health legislation, expert guidance, and organizational policies;

• sets the expectations for all nurses to safeguard the health of their clients by minimizing the risk of blood-borne virus and other communicable disease transmission, with a focus on preventing transmission from nurse to client.

• includes the expectation to follow routine practices and additional precautions routine practices and additional precautions; and

• emphasizes professional accountability across all practice settings

The standard is principles‑based and designed to be applied alongside employer policies, public health direction, and evolving evidence.

Questions?

• Connect with our Standards Support team.
• Visit the HPOA resource centre​