Forums Information and Guidelines

Purpose

The ACIPC forums are platforms designed to:

• Facilitate communication between members and peers
• Share ideas, experiences, and resources
• Seek and provide professional advice
• Build a collaborative community of practice

The College operates two forums:

• Infexion Connexion – available to financial members via the members’ section of the ACIPC website
• Aged Care Connexion – complimentary and open to anyone interested in infection prevention and control in aged care, accessible via the members’ section or Aged Care Connexion page

Both forums allow participants to post and reply to questions, subscribe to email notifications, and search archived discussions.

Access

• Financial Members – login required via the members’ section of the ACIPC website
• Aged Care Connexion – free and open access for aged care professionals and stakeholders

Moderation

• Forums are overseen by volunteer moderators.
• All enquiries regarding forum management should be directed to the ACIPC Office (not to moderators).
• Posts may be withheld if they:
  • Contain offensive, abusive, defamatory, or profane language
  • Bring the College into disrepute
  • Breach privacy, copyright, or legislation
  • Promote commercial products or services
• In such cases, the post will be referred to the ACIPC Office, and the member will be contacted.

Disclaimer

• Forums are peer-to-peer platforms.
• Posts represent the views and experiences of individual members, not ACIPC.
• Forum content should not be considered College advice, endorsement, or approval.
• Members are encouraged to critically assess all information within the context of their own professional practice.

Reporting Concerns

If you believe content is:

• Inaccurate or misleading
• Intimidating, offensive, or inappropriate
• Confusing or lacking evidence for novice practitioners

Please email office@acipc.org.au.

Content Removal & Access

The College reserves the right to:

• Remove posts at its discretion
• Restrict or revoke forum access if guidelines are breached

Forum Guidelines & Etiquette

By using the forums, you agree to follow these guidelines:

• Keep content relevant, respectful, and professional.
• Use clear subject lines to assist searching and appropriate responses.
• Include your name, role, organisation, state, and email address in all posts.
• Remove personal signatures or automated footers not relevant to the discussion.
• Disable automated replies (e.g., out-of-office notices) to avoid being blocked by forum software.

Privacy

• Do not collect or share members’ personal information.
• Using forum contact details for invitations, marketing, or any commercial purpose is prohibited.

Copyright

• Do not share copyrighted material without permission.
• By posting, you confirm you either own the copyright or have obtained permission from the copyright holder.

Conflicts of Interest

You must declare if you:

• Are employed by, or receive benefits from, an IPC industry business or manufacturer
• Receive research funding or retainers related to your post

Undeclared conflicts will result in requests for clarification before posts are approved.

Commercial Products & Organisations

• Avoid brand names; use generic terms unless discussing recalls or approved standards.
• Commercial members may contribute but must not advertise or promote products.
• Permitted commercial posts include:
  • Free educational activities
  • Scholarships
  • Research grants
  • Approved surveys/research projects (via the Research Access Scheme)

Advertising opportunities are available through ACIPC advertising.

Opinion Pieces

Opinion contributions should be submitted to Infection, Disease and Health, ACIPC’s peer-reviewed journal, to ensure appropriate academic debate.

Questions About the Forum?

Please contact the ACIPC Office at office@acipc.org.au.