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Infection control

Infection
Prevention &
Control

​​​SJGHEL’s Infection Prevention and Control Program is an essential component of quality patient care. The program’s evidence-based guidance and recommendations help reduce the risk of infection for patients, staff, and visitors.

The program helps ensure the protection of patients, health-care workers, staff, and visitors from preventable hospital-acquired disease through surveillance, education, consultation, outbreak investigation, research and the development of policies and procedures.

Infection Control Presentation

Hospital-Acquired Infections

A hospital-acquired infection is one that was not present or incubating prior to the patient being admitted to the hospital but occurred within 48-72 hours after admittance to a hospital.

SJGHEL monitors infection rates very closely. Despite our best efforts, hospital-acquired cases of MRSA, and C. difficile are on the rise in hospitals across Canada. This increase is due to several reasons including:

  • today’s hospitalized patients are sicker than ever before,
  • the number of patients with weakened immune systems is increasing,
  • new devices and procedures with inherent risks are in use,
  • antibiotic use is resulting in the development of resistant bacteria, and
  • increased travel allows global spread of bacteria and other pathogens.

To combat this rise in infection rates, SJGHEL has implemented several measures to address infection rates, including:

  • hand hygiene program with increase access to alcohol-based hand rub,
  • screening patients on admission for history of carrying resistant germs,
  • renovations to patient care areas,
  • increased housekeeping resources, and
  • education and awareness campaigns for patients and health-care providers.

Hand Hygiene

Every year in Canada patients die or become seriously ill from infections acquired in hospitals. It is estimated that at least 30% of hospital acquired infections are preventable. Bacteria that cause infections are most frequently spread from one patient to another on the hands of health-care workers.

Scientific evidence shows that hand hygiene is the single most important way of controlling the spread of germs which can cause infection.

Every year, an estimated 5-7% of patients admitted to hospitals develop a preventable and sometimes deadly healthcare-associated infection such as Clostridioides difficile (C. difficile) or Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).

Hand hygiene involves everyone in the Hospital, including patients. Hand cleaning is one of the best ways you and your health-care team can prevent the spread of many infections. Patients and their visitors should also practice good hand hygiene before and after entering patient rooms.

More patient-specific information is available at:

If you’re visiting our Hospital, please consider these important Hand Hygiene tips:

  • Always wash your hands: hand hygiene stations are located at the main entrance and throughout our Hospital.
  • Important times to wash your hands include:
    • as you enter and leave our Hospital,
    • before and after going into a patient’s room or a treatment room,
    • before eating, and
    • after using the washroom.
  • Ask anyone caring for you to wash his/her hands before touching you. It’s your right as a patient.
  • Follow the use of personal protective equipment (gloves, gowns, masks) as directed by the signs in front of patient rooms.

Below you will find a links to various Infection Prevention and Control Indicators for SJGHEL: