Importance of Hand Hygiene

Why should hand hygiene be a priority in Ontario hospitals? Proper hand hygiene will protect patients and health care providers, reduce the spread of infections and the costs associated with treating infections, reduce hospital lengths of stay and readmissions, reduce wait times, and prevent deaths.

• In Canada, about 250,000 people-or one out of every nine patients admitted to hospital each year-pick up infections while being treated for something else.
• Every year, more than 8,000 patients die from those infections.
• Most health care settings report less than 50 per cent adherence to hand hygiene.

Proper hand hygiene with the use of alcohol-based hand rub or soap and water by health care providers to clean their hands-is the most effective ways of preventing health care associated infections(MOHLTC, 2007).

To help win the “War on Germs”, always practice good hand hygiene. 

6 Steps for Proper Handwashing

About the Program

Mission Statement:
To promote a safe and healthy environment by preventing the transmission of infectious agents among patients, staff and visitors.

Goals:

• Grey Bruce Health Services Board of Directors has signaled its strong support for infection control through one of the seven Strategic Goals in the organization’s corporate Strategic Plan: “Grey Bruce Health Services will strive to create a culture of safety for both patients and our staff”
• Providing ongoing education to staff, patients and visitors using evidence based information
• Strive for continuous improvement in prevention of ‘Hospital Acquired Infections’
  

Since the approval of the current Strategic Plan in 2003, several annual initiatives have been undertaken in support of this Strategic Goal;

• The introduction of corporate-wide patient safety walkabouts
• Installation of hand sanitation devices in patients rooms and throughout the corporation
• Infection control information which is available in all patient rooms
• Participation in Safer Healthcare Now initiatives
• Increased emphasis on environmental cleanliness standards

Public Reporting General Messaging

On September 26, 2008, all Ontario hospitals will be required to report publicly on their rates and  number of new hospital-acquired C. difficle cases. Hospitals will also be required to report on a variety of other patient safety indicators in the months ahead, including Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Vancomycin-resistant Enterococci (VRE). The Ministry of Health will also report the same information on its own website, at www.ontario.ca/patientsafety.

More information is available here.

Outbreak Reporting to the Public  

Southampton hospital has been closed to admissions due to a recent MRSA outbreak.

Tracking Infection Rates at GBHS/Accountability to our Patients

Tracking infection rates in the hospital is done by the Infection Prevention and Control Team. This information is used to improve infection control practices throughout the corporation. Here you can find information about hospital acquired infection rates for:

• MRSA Bacteremia
• VRE Bacteremia
• C. difficile

How are Infection Rates Calculated?

Infectious diseases can be calculated as rate per 1000 patient days: the total number of new cases of any infection each month divided by the patient days each month multiplied by 1000.

The C. difficile rate is calculated as follows:

Number of new hospital-acquired cases of C. difficile associated disease (CDAD) associated with the reporting facility ÷ number of patient days X 1000 = rate of nosocomial cases of CDAD per 1000 patient days.

MRSA and VRE bacteraemias are reported quarterly and are calculated as the number of MRSA bacteraemias/VRE bacteraemias, divided by the number of patient days x 1000.

Information for Patients and Visitors - Fact Sheets

• What is MRSA?
  Staphylococcus aureus is a germ that lives on the skin and mucous membranes of healthy people. Occasionally S. aureus can cause an infection. When S. aureus develops resistance to certain antibiotics, it is called methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA.
  ::MRSA Fact sheet
  
  
• What is MRSA Bacteraemia?
  Bacteraemia is the presence of bacteria in the bloodstream and is referred to as a bloodstream infection. A MRSA bacteraemia case is a patient identified with laboratory confirmed bloodstream infection with methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). A bloodstream infection is a single positive blood culture for MRSA.
  
  
• What is VRE?
  Enterococci are germs that live in the gastrointestinal tract (bowels) of most individuals and generally do not cause harm (this is termed “colonization”). Vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) are strains of enterococci that are resistant to the antibiotic vancomycin. If a person has an infection caused by VRE, such as a urinary tract infection or blood infection, it may be more difficult to treat.
  ::VRE Fact Sheet
  
  
• What is VRE Bacteraemia?
  Bacteraemia is the presence of bacteria in the bloodstream and is referred to as a bloodstream infection. A VRE bacteraemia case is a patient identified with laboratory confirmed bloodstream infection with vancomycin resistant enterococcus (VRE). A bloodstream infection is a single positive blood culture for VRE.
  
  
• What is C.Diff?
  Clostridium difficile (also called C. difficile or C. diff.) is a bacterium that can produce a toxin or type of poison that can cause swelling in the intestinal tract. You will usually have symptoms like diarrhea, fever and abdominal pain. The C. diff. bacterium can be found in the bowels of some people without causing disease, and people in good health generally do not get C. difficile disease.
  :: C.Diff Fact Sheet
  

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Patient Visitor Information/pamphlets/videos

Hand hygiene

• Hand washing video
• Please Wash your Hands
• Hand washing 
• Hand Hygiene Fact Sheet
• Hand Hygiene policy for GBHS

Cough Etiquette

• ‘Why Don’t We Do It In Our Sleeves’ video
• Cover Your Cough

Routine Practices
‘Routine Practices’ is the system of infection prevention and control practices recommended by the Public Health Agency of Canada to be used with all clients/patients/residents during all care to prevent and control transmission of microorganisms in health care settings.

• Routine Practices Fact Sheet
  

Additional Precautions are used in conjunction with routine practices when a patient is known to have an infectious agent or disease. When this situation occurs the patient is placed in isolation and additional precautions are taken to prevent the transmission of the particular infectious agent. These precautions are based on the method of transmission (e.g. contact, droplet, airborne). When in the hospital you may see these particular signs posted on patients doors.

• Contact Isolation
• Contact Plus Isolation
• Droplet Isolation
• Airborne Isolation

Influenza

• Influenza Vaccination Campaign
• Get the Flu Shot

Pandemic Planning

• Personal & Family Care Video
• Pandemic Influenza
  

Hospital Information

• Infection Protection and Control Brochure
• Important Information from Infection Protection
  and Control & Environmental Services
  

Useful resources on Infection Prevention and Control

• Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care  
• APIC – Association For Professionals in Infection Control
• CHICA-Community and Hospital Infection Control Association-Canada
• CDC-Centre for Disease Control and Prevention
• Canadian Infectious Diseases Society
• PIDAC-Provincial Infectious Disease Advisory Committee
• Public Health Agency of Canada
• Grey Bruce Public Health
• WHO-World Health Organization