Infection Prevention & Control

Overview

Infection control is everyone’s responsibility, including patients and their friends and family members. OSMH uses special precautions to help prevent bacteria and viruses from spreading to other patients, staff and visitors.

For all patients, visitors and team members, frequent and careful hand-washing is the single most effective means of stopping the spread of potentially harmful bacteria and viruses. Dispensers are located throughout the hospital with alcohol-based hand sanitizer. Please wash your hands frequently with sanitizer or warm soap and water and remind all who visit you (caregivers and visitors) to do so as well.

Through the implementation of best practices for the prevention and control of healthcare-associated infections, we keep our commitment to the safety of our patients, staff, physicians, volunteers and students.

Patient Safety Indicators

To promote accountability and transparency within the health system, in 2008, all Ontario hospitals began reporting publicly on their rates and number of new hospital-acquired infections which include clostridium difficile associated disease (CDAD), methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bacteremia and vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) bacteremia as the monthly reporting requirement for patient safety indicators.

Below is a link to OSMH’s current data on hospital-associated infections.

Click here to find OSMH’s Patient Safety Quality Indicator Reports.