December 30, 2008

Ontario is now reporting three more patient safety indicators as part of a comprehensive plan for unprecedented transparency in the province’s hospitals.

By visiting www.ontario.ca/patientsafety, Ontarians now have access to bacteraemia infection rates for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) by hospital site. Both MRSA and VRE are hospital-associated infections that are resistant to certain antibiotics.

Public reporting will enable hospitals to monitor MRSA and VRE bacteraemia infection rates in their facilities so that the most appropriate infection control measures and highest standards of practice can be put in place. It will also be used to analyze any province-wide trends.

Numbers for September, October and November 2008 in Ontario show that :

• There were 61 cases of MRSA bacteraemia found and the provincial MRSA rate was 0.02
• There were 10 cases of VRE bacteraemia and the provincial VRE rate was 0.00

Ontario is also beginning to report hospital standardized mortality ratios (HSMR), calculated annually by the Canadian Institute for Health Information. HSMR is a measure that provides a starting point to assess mortality rates and identify areas for improvement.

“Our government is committed to upholding the highest standards of care in hospitals,” said David Caplan, Minister of Health and Long-Term Care. “With this data, we’re giving hospitals more tools to reduce the spread of infectious diseases and keep patients safe.”

“These new indicators being reported place us among the leaders in hospital patient safety across the country,” said Dr. Michael Baker, Executive Lead of Patient Safety. “It’s important for patients to know that their local hospital is safe and is making every effort to ensure they receive the highest quality care possible.”

• Ontario began public reporting of Clostridium difficile associated disease (CDAD) – the first of eight patient safety indicators – in September, 2008.
• Public reporting on four more patient safety indicators – ventilator-associated pneumonia, central line infections, surgical site infections and hand hygiene compliance - will begin on April 30, 2009.
• Proper hand hygiene practice – by both health care providers and patients – is the most effective way to prevent the spread of infectious diseases.

Find out more about Ontario’s Patient Safety Initiative and hospital reporting.

Learn more about Ontario’s hand hygiene initiative Just Clean Your Hands.

Read the announcement on the full public reporting of eight patient safety indicators.

• Public Reporting Of Patient Safety Indicators

For public inquiries call ServiceOntario, INFOline at 1-866-532-3161 (Toll-free in Ontario only)

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