Patient Safety Indicators

C. difficile (Clostridium difficile) is a type of bacteria normally found in soil and other natural environments. It can also live in our own gut or bowel with many other kinds of bacteria. Antibiotics (medicines) used to treat infections will kill many of these germs but may allow C. difficile to grow causing irritation of the bowel and diarrhea. Other types of medications may also cause your bowel to be susceptible to this infection. This can happen with medications you have taken at home or while you were in the hospital.

What is Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)?

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a type of bacteria that is resistant to certain or all types of the beta-lactam classes of antibiotics such as penicillins, penicillinase-resistant penicillins (e.g. cloxacillin) and cephalosporins.

What are the risk factors for MRSA?

Risk factors for MRSA acquisition include invasive procedures, prior treatment with antibiotics, prolonged hospital stay, stay in an intensive care or burn unit, surgical wound infection and close proximity to a colonized person.

How does MRSA spread?

The spread of MRSA occurs through contact and can live on surfaces for months. Good hand hygiene is the single-most effective way to prevent the spread of infectious diseases like MRSA. Mild cases may not require treatment and severe cases may require other antibiotics.

What is VRE?

Enterococci are bacteria that are normally present in the human intestines and in the female genital tract and are often found in the environment. These bacteria can sometimes cause infections. Vancomycin is an antibiotic that is often used to treat infections caused by enterococci. In some instances, enterococci have become resistant to this drug and thus are called Vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE).

What causes VRE?

Enterococci bacteria in the lower intestine and/or other areas (e.g., urine, blood, skin) may cause an infection and may be resistant to the antibiotic Vancomycin. Others may carry the bacteria without having symptoms. Risk factors for VRE acquisition include severity of underlying illness, presence of invasive devices, prior colonization with VRE, antibiotic use and length of hospital stay.

How does VRE spread?

The spread of VRE occurs through contact. The bacteria can live on surfaces for days to weeks and on hands for several hours. The bacteria are relatively easy to kill with hospital grade disinfectants and good hand hygiene.

As SBGHC does not provide care for ventilated patients for more than 48 hours, we are not considered eligible to report on Ventilator Associated Pneumonia rates. Only hospitals with ICUs that ventilate patients for more than 48 hours are reporting this data.

For more information on VAP, or to view VAP rates for other Ontario hospitals, please click on the link below.

http://www.hqontario.ca/public-reporting/patient-safety 

At the present time, SBGHC is not eligible to report on central line infection rates. Only hospitals with ICUs that report into the government’s Critical Care Information System (CCIS), a centralized data collection system where hospitals report a variety of critical care information, are reporting this data.

For more information on central line infections, or to view CLI rates for other Ontario hospitals, please click on the link below.

http://www.hqontario.ca/public-reporting/patient-safety

Hospitals that perform hip and/or knee joint replacement surgeries are required by the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care to publicly report their surgical site infection prevention percentages. SBGHC does not perform these surgeries and is, therefore, considered ineligible to publicly report this information.

For more information on surgical site infections, or to view SSI rates for other Ontario hospitals, please click on the link below.

http://www.hqontario.ca/public-reporting/patient-safety

South Bruce Grey Health Centre is committed to protecting the health and safety of our patients, visitors, volunteers and staff. Our hand hygiene program is just one of many initiatives our Infection Control Team has implemented to help prevent the spread of infections.

Hand hygiene involves everyone in the hospital, including patients, visitors and health care providers. When visiting our hospital, please make use of the waterless alcohol based hand rub that can be found throughout the hospital. It is the most effective way of cleaning your hands.

Hand Hygiene Compliance rates are reported annually to the Ministry of Health and calculated based on compliance to the four moments of hand hygiene:

1. Before initial patient/patient environment contact
2. Before aseptic procedure
3. After body fluid exposure risk
4. After patient/patient environment
   contact

For more information on hand hygiene, or to view hand hygiene compliance rates for other Ontario hospitals, please click on the link below.

http://www.hqontario.ca/public-reporting/patient-safety

The Surgical Safety Checklist (SSCL) is a patient safety communication tool used by the operating room team to facilitate team discussion and ensure that everyone is familiar with the case. The SSCL is an effective tool, as its impact expands beyond safe surgical processes to improvements in teamwork, communication and culture in the operating room.

The checklist identifies three phases of an operation, each corresponding to a specific period in the normal flow of work: before the induction of anaesthesia (“sign in”), before the incision of the skin (“time out”) and before the patient leaves the operating room (“sign out”). In each phase, a checklist coordinator must confirm that the surgery team has completed the listed tasks before it proceeds with the operation.

SBGHC is committed to supporting the SSCL, as it inspires enhanced patient safety and improved performance.  All patients having surgery at SBGHC can expect to have the checklist performed during their procedure.

For more information on the SSCL, or to view SSCL reports for other Ontario hospitals, please click on the link below.

http://www.hqontario.ca/public-reporting/patient-safety