Patient Safety

Healthcare associated infections are an unwelcome reality in modern health care settings across the globe. Prevention and control of these infections in hospitals is a priority for Ontario and is key to keeping patients safe. The government of Ontario has developed a website (http://www.health.gov.on.ca/patient_safety/)  to keep the public informed on patient safety related issues at the province's hospitals. By April 2009, it will report on eight different topics relating to patient safety at Ontario hospitals:

Reportable as of September 2008:

• Clostridium Difficile Associated Disease (CDAD)
  C. difficile is a bacteria that causes infectious diarrhea and that can spread in health care settings. Find out about C. difficile rates in Ontario hospitals.

Reportable as of December 2008

• Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA)
  MRSA is a bacterium that can cause infections and that can spread in a health care settings. Find out about MRSA rates in Ontario hospitals.

• Vancomycin Resistant Enterococcus (VRE)
  VRE is a bacterium that causes difficult-to-treat infections, and that can spread in health care settings. Find out about VRE rates in Ontario hospitals.

• Hospital Standardized Mortality Ratio (HSMR)
  Read about HSMR and how it is calculated in Ontario hospitals.

Reportable as of April 2009

• Central-Line Primary Blood Stream Infection (CLI) - not applicable for WDMH
• Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia (VAP) - not applicable for WDMH 
• Surgical Site Infection Prevention - not applicable for WDMH
• Hand Hygiene Compliance