Quality & Safety Indicators
Publicly reporting information about our patient safety rates shows how safe St. Joseph's Health Centre is for our patients and their families, and is a critical part of our commitment to Putting Patients First.
We fully support this Ministry of Health initiative and have been publically reporting our patient safety rates in our Corporate Scorecard for a number of indicators. Reporting our patient safety rates on a monthly basis will provide us with better information that will help drive our performance and ensure we are using our resources wisely.
C. Difficile
C. difficile is one of the many types of bacteria that can be found in feces, and has been a known cause of health care-associated diarrhea for about 30 years. C. difficile can be picked up on the hands from exposure in the environment and can get into the stomach once the mouth is touched, or if food is handled and then swallowed.
Download the C. Difficile Statistics
Central Line Infections (CLI)
CLI occur when a central venous catheter (or “line”) placed into a patient’s vein gets infected. This happens when bacteria grow in the line and spreads to the patient’s bloodstream. Patients require a central line when blood, fluid replacement and/or nutrition need to be given to them intravenously. Central lines also allow health care providers to monitor fluid status and make determinations about the heart and blood.
Hand Hygiene
Effective hand hygiene practices in hospitals play a key role in improving patient and provider safety, and in reducing the spread of health care-associated infections in hospitals. Hand hygiene involves everyone in the hospital, including patients and health care providers.
Read about Hand Hygiene at St. Joe's
Download the Hand Hygiene Stats
Hospital Standardized Mortality Ratio (HSMR)
HSMR is an overall quality indicator and measurement tool that compares a hospital’s mortality rate with the overall average rate. As a quality indicator and a measure to help hospitals and health professionals follow trends in their hospital mortality rate, HSMR can be used to help improve quality of care and patient safety over time. The current method of calculating the number of expected deaths in acute care hospitals accounts for several variables such as age, sex, length of stay, admission category, and diagnosis group. This provides for simplicity in reporting and a more stable platform to observe trends over time. Please contact hsmr@cihi.ca if there are further questions related to this.
Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (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 is spread either from touching contaminated material excreted by the infected person or from touching articles contaminated by the skin of a person with MRSA, such as towels, sheets and wound dressings. MRSA can live on hands and objects in the environment.
Surgical Site Infection Prevention (SSI)
Surgical site infections occur when harmful germs enter your body through the surgical site (any cut the surgeon makes in the skin to perform the operation). Infections happen because germs are everywhere – on your skin, in the air and on things you touch. Most infections are caused by germs found on and in your body.
Download the Surgical Site Infections (SSI) Statistics
Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococci (VRE)
Enterococci are germs that live in the gastrointestinal tract (bowels) of most individuals and generally do not cause harm. 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 is spread from one person to another by contact, usually on the hands of caregivers. VRE can be present on the caregiver’s hands either from touching contaminated material excreted by an infected person or from touching articles soiled by feces. VRE can survive well on hands and can survive for weeks on inanimate objects such as toilet seats, taps, door handles, bedrails, furniture and bedpans. VRE is easy to kill with the proper use of disinfectants and good hand hygiene.
Ventilator Associated Pneumonia (VAP)
VAP is defined as pneumonia (a serious lung infection) that can occur in patients (specifically ICU patients) who need assistance breathing with a mechanical ventilator for at least 48 hours.
For more information please contact St. Joseph's Health Centre’s Corporate Communications & Public Affairs Department by calling 416-530-6387 or by email pubaff@stjoe.on.ca.
For more information on the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care's public safety reporting plan click here.
Page last updated: August 31, 2009