The Scarborough Hospital is committed to delivering safe, high-quality care to all the patients that we serve. To this end, we carefully monitor important patient safety measurements, including rates of Clostridium Difficile (C. difficile).

To demonstrate our commitment to patient safety and to transparency, we have made this information available to the public since the spring of 2008. The Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care made it a requirement for Ontario hospitals to report these statistics monthly as of September 26, 2008.

BACKGROUND

C. difficile is a common bacterium that lives in the intestinal tract of many healthy people. Use of antibiotics sometimes changes the bacterial flora or population of the intestinal tract, allowing the C. difficile bacteria to grow out of proportion. In doing this, the bacterium secretes a toxin that attacks the lining of the intestinal tract .The patient may get diarrhea or even more serious illness.

While C. difficile does not usually present a big problem for reasonably healthy adults, it can be quite serious for those who are frail or have other health challenges.

C. difficile is communicable. It can live in the environment and on other surfaces. Rigorous cleaning regimes, patient isolation and hand washing are some of the strategies used to combat C. difficile.

Older hospitals across the province, including the General, face greater challenges in combating C. diff due to structural issues such as fewer hand washing sinks, waste management systems that need upgrading and fewer single patient rooms. Because of these challenges, TSH has initiated a number of programs including random infection control audits, a hand ashing campaign on-going staff education and rigorous environmental cleaning.

In addition, Dr. Michael Gardam, a recognized expert in C. difficile and the province’s new Director of Infectious Disease Prevention and Control for the Ontario Agency for Health Promotion and Protection, conducted an independent review of The Scarborough Hospital’s infection control practices. Recommendations from his August 2008 report are currently being implemented at the General campus.

The Scarborough Hospital’s C. difficile rates.

Download a Fact Sheet on C. difficile from the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care.