The Infection Prevention and Control (IPAC) service at Hotel Dieu Shaver is an essential part of quality patient care.
Our key goals are to protect our patients from infections and to prevent the spread of infection among patients, health care providers, visitors, and others in our health-care environment.
Hand Hygiene
Good hand hygiene is the single most important way to prevent the spread of infection. At HDS, we expect you and your health care provider to clean your hands regularly.
When to clean your hands:
- when you enter or exit your room or the hospital,
- before and after eating and drinking,
- after using the bathroom,
- after covering a cough or a sneeze, and
- After touching any person and/or surface
Remind family members and friends to clean their hands before they visit and before they leave the hospital.
Hand Hygiene Rate Reporting
April 2019:
- 90.37% compliance before initial patient/patient environment
- 93.75% compliance after patient/patient environment.
Current Statistics: Infectious Diseases
| Number of New Cases | Rate of Infection | Dates | |
|---|---|---|---|
| CDI | 1 | 0 | October 25, 2024 |
| MRSA | 0 | 0 | October 25, 2024 |
| VRE | 0 | 0 | October 25, 2024 |
* Rate is calculated as follows: Number of new hospital-acquired (HA) cases in our facility x 1000 divided by total number of patient days (for one month).
Respiratory Etiquette
- Cover your nose and mouth when sneezing, coughing, or blowing your nose
- Always wash your hands after sneezing, blowing your nose, or coughing
- Encourage family members and friends not to visit if they are ill
Influenza & Pneumococcal Vaccines
In a continued effort to prevent outbreaks, all patients admitted to Hotel Dieu Shaver during the influenza season (October to April) are offered the influenza vaccine. You will be given an information fact sheet about the vaccine by your healthcare team.
Antibiotic-Resistant Organisms (AROs)
In order to prevent the spread of multi-resistant organisms, such as MRSA and VRE, you will be screened and monitored upon admission into the hospital. If you have been found to have an ARO, you will be notified by your healthcare team and placed in contact isolation to prevent further spread.
Outbreak Protocol
Hotel Dieu Shaver's IPAC team is dedicated to the ongoing surveillance of infections at the hospital. If an outbreak has been declared by Niagara Region Public Health, you will be notified about the necessary precautions now needed, and your role as a patient.
In an outbreak, the following occurs:
- Signs will be placed at the entrances to the hospital and the unit, explaining the responsibilities of family and visitors.
- If you have symptoms, you will be asked to stay in your room in order to prevent the spread of the infection.
- Health care providers will wear personal protective equipment, such as gowns, gloves, and masks, during direct patient care to prevent the spread of the infection.
- If you are on the same unit but do not have symptoms, you can move around the unit, but you cannot leave the unit to go to other areas of the hospital. Your therapy may occur on the unit.
- Family and visitors should not visit if they are feeling unwell.
Frequent hand hygiene is the best measure to prevent the spread of infection to you and your loved ones.
Information fact sheets are available to download:
What is C. Difficile? | Download
What is Methicillin-Resistant Staphlycococcus Aureus (MRSA)? | Download
What is Vancomycin Resistant Enterococcus (VRE) | Download
What is Extended Spectrum Beta-Lactamase Producing Bacteria (ESBL)? | Download
Handwashing | Download
Visitors Infection Control | Download