Patient safety and hospital-acquired infections
Infections can happen anywhere - at home, in the community, or in a hospital. St. John's Rehab recognizes that as our patients heal and recover, they can be vulnerable to infection - we work hard to ensure patient safety at our hospital.
Patient safety at St. John's Rehab Hospital
Our hospital promotes a culture of safe patient care and we are proud of our record of preventing the spread of dangerous infections among patients in our facility. We work and liaise with the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, Toronto Public Health, Accreditation Canada, the Safer Healthcare Now! campaign and other groups to promote, advance and learn about the latest patient safety techniques. Our management team also works with our staff and patients learn about and be partners in patient safety. Together, we also identify and mitigate against safety risks through face-to-face feedback and formal reporting.
Our activities to help contain infection include:
- A dedicated team of clinical management and staff that oversee infection control
- Screening patients upon admission to identify any infections
- Monitoring of patients throughout their rehabilitation
- The "Just Clean Your Hands" program, which promotes proper hand hygiene among patients, visitors and healthcare workers as the most effective way to prevent the spread of infection
- Precautionary measures including isolation patient rooms and extensive facility cleaning procedures
Patients are encouraged to take an active role in their safety. To learn more, please see: "Ensuring Your Safety."
Hospital-acquired infections
The data below represents infections acquired at our facility. Patients who have acquired infections from other sources are excluded. To protect patient confidentiality, no specific number is reported when there are less than 5 cases in any reporting period.
This data is not intended for comparisons between hospitals, nor should it be a measure about where to seek care. Rates will vary widely among hospitals and across time periods due to a variety of factors, including the type of care a hospital provides, the types of patient conditions, medications, and patient age.
Reporting this data allows hospitals to be accountable and transparent to the public, while identifying areas for improvement and learning from one another.
- Clostridium difficile (C. difficile)
- Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)
- Vancomycin-resistant Enterococci (VRE)
Clostridium difficile (C. difficile)
C. difficile is one of the many bacteria that can be normally found in the intestine. An infection can occur when the C. difficile bacteria grows and produces a toxin. C. difficile infection is common in hospitals and has been a known cause of health-care associated diarrhea for about 30 years.
The spread can be controlled through consistent hand hygiene after touching soiled surfaces, and thorough cleaning of the patient environment. Washing hands thoroughly and often is the most effective way to prevent the spread of infectious diseases.
A case of c. difficile infection (CDI) is considered hospital-acquired when a patient begins experiencing symptoms at least 72 hours after admission to the hospital.
| Date | # of new hospital-acquired cases of CDI |
rate of CDI per 1000 patient days |
| Aug 2008 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 2008 | Less than 5 | 0.46 |
| Oct 2008 | Less than 5 | 0.46 |
| Nov 2008 | Less than 5 | 0.48 |
| Dec 2008 | Less than 5 | 0.26 |
| Jan 2009 | Less than 5 | 0.98 |
| Feb 2009 | Less than 5 | 0.48 |
| Mar 2009 | 0 | 0 |
| Apr 2009 | Less than 5 | 0.23 |
| May 2009 | Less than 5 | 0.23 |
| Jun 2009 | Less than 5 | 0.23 |
| Jul 2009 | Less than 5 | 0.23 |
| Aug 2009 | Less than 5 | 0.23 |
| Sep 2009 | Less than 5 | 0.23 |
| Oct 2009 | Less than 5 | 0.46 |
| Nov 2009 | Less than 5 | 0.24 |
| Dec 2009 | Less than 5 | 0.26 |
| Jan 2010 | Less than 5 | 0.25 |
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)
Staphylococcus aureus is a bacteria that lives on the skin and mucous membranes of healthy people. MRSA is a bacteria that is resistant to some antibiotics such as penicillins and cephalosporins.
Risk factors include invasive procedures, prior treatment with antibiotics, long hospital stays, intensive care or burn unit stays, surgical wound infections and close proximity to a person who has MRSA. It can also be transmitted through breast milk.
The spread can be controlled through consistent hand hygiene after coming into contact with patients, contaminated material or equipment. Patients might have MRSA without showing symptoms, and could spread the bacteria to others. Washing hands thoroughly and often is the most effective way to prevent the spread of infectious diseases.
A case of MRSA bacteraemia (bacteria in the bloodstream) is considered hospital-acquired when a patient experiences symptoms at least 72 hours after admission to the hospital.
| Date | # of new hospital-acquired cases of MRSA bacteraemia |
rate of MRSA bacteraemia per 1000 patient days |
| Sep 1 - Dec 31, 2008 | 0 | 0 |
| Jan 1 - Mar 31, 2009 | 0 | 0 |
| Apr 1 - Jun 30, 2009 | 0 | 0 |
| Jul 1 - Sep 30, 2009 | 0 | 0 |
| Oct 1 - Dec 31, 2009 | 0 | 0 |
Vancomycin-resistant Enterococci (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. VRE are bacteria that are resistant to an antibiotic often used to treat infections. Risk factors include severe illness, presence of invasive devices, antibiotic use and long hospital stays.
The spread can be controlled through consistent hand hygiene after coming into contact with patients, contaminated material or equipment. Patients might have VRE without showing symptoms, and could spread the bacteria to others. Washing hands thoroughly and often is the most effective way to prevent the spread of infectious diseases.
A case of VRE bacteraemia (bacteria in the bloodstream) is considered hospital-acquired when a patient experiences symptoms at least 72 hours after admission to the hospital.
| Date | # of new hospital-acquired cases of VRE bacteraemia |
rate of VRE bacteraemia per 1000 patient days |
| Sep 1 - Dec 31, 2008 | 0 | 0 |
| Jan 1 - Mar 31, 2009 | 0 | 0 |
| Apr 1 - Jun 30, 2009 | 0 | 0 |
| Jul 1 - Sep 30, 2009 | 0 | 0 |
| Oct 1 - Dec 31, 2009 | 0 | 0 |
Hand hygiene
Proper hand hygiene among patients, visitors and health care workers is the most effective way to prevent the spread of many hospital-acquired infections.
Proper hand hygiene is not as simple as just washing your hands. Hands must be washed thoroughly for at least 15 seconds when visibly soiled. Hands must also be sanitized using an alcohol-based sanitizer at four key moments of interaction with a patient:
- Before initial contact with the patient or their environment (such as the patient's hospital room)
- Before an aseptic procedure (a technique that must be performed in sterile conditions to prevent infection)
- After any risk of exposure to body fluids (such as being in close proximity to someone, when you could be exposed to sweat, tears or other bodily fluid)
- After completing the contact with the patient or their environment
As part of a three-year infection prevention and control plan, St. John's Rehab Hospital is addressing the barriers to hand hygiene among health care workers, including:
- adapting work procedures to make it simpler for staff and physicians to clean our hands
- promoting staff, physician, patient and visitor knowledge of correct hand hygiene procedures
- installing equipment such as accessible hand hygiene stations at all patient rooms and in areas where people come together, such as lounges and our cafeteria.
Reporting rates of hand hygiene compliance allows hospitals to be accountable and transparent to the public, while identifying areas for improvement and learning from one another. The rates below are calculated by an audit of more than 400 health care worker-patient interactions. We are committed to addressing the barriers to proper hand hygiene to ensure patients continue to receive safe care at our facility.
| Date | hand hygiene by health care workers before initial patient/ patient environment contact |
hand hygiene by health care workers after patient/ patient environment contact |
| Year ending Mar 31, 2009 |
48.64% | 53.53% |
Hand hygiene involves everyone in the hospital, including patients. Patients and their visitors should practice good hand hygiene before and after entering patient rooms. Proper hand hygiene is one of the most important ways you and your health care team can prevent the spread of many infections.
For more information about patient safety and infection rates at Ontario's hospitals, please visit the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care's website at www.ontario.ca/patientsafety.
Please note: our performance indicators are designed to provide you with data about St. John's Rehab Hospital. This information should not replace the advice of a medical professional.