Preventing Hospital Infections

Did you know that cleaning your hands (also known as hand hygiene) is the single most effective way to reduce the spread of germs that cause the common cold, flu, and even serious or life-threatening diseases?
Protect yourself and others from getting infections by using good hand washing habits; it’s important that you clean your hands often and completely. Wash your hands after using the washroom, before eating and after touching surfaces. You may also use the alcohol-based liquid/foam hand sanitizers available on each unit and at most bedsides. Check with the nurses on the unit to learn about the products available to you to clean your hands if you are unsure.
We encourage you to politely ask health-care providers if they have cleaned their hands before providing care - a gentle reminder to staff is appreciated. For additional information on cleaning hands, check out our Clean Hands Pamphlet.

If you have a communicable disease, be sure to let staff know when admitted to a health-care facility. Please do not visit if you’re ill with symptoms of diarrhea, fever or respiratory illness.

We’re encountering germs that are increasingly more resistant to antibiotics, so preventing infections and spread of germs is important to keep us all healthy. It is important if you have had or are experiencing an infection, such as Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA), to tell us when you are admitted to a health-care facility. 

We use basic practices such as hand washing, cleaning and disinfection of the environment to prevent and control the spread of germs. In some situations, we use additional precautions (also know as isolation) such as keeping patients in their rooms and staff wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) such as masks, gloves and gowns when caring for you and may request visitors to do the same. 

In a health-care facility:

• Infection control staff will place a 'precautions' sign on your door advising health-care workers and visitors of any special equipment (e.g., gloves, gowns) that they should use.
• Your activities outside your room may be restricted because Antibiotic Resistant Organisms can spread easily in some acute care settings.
• In some cases, equipment used in your daily care will be dedicated to you and remain in your room.
• You will be taught how to clean your hands with soap and water, and with a waterless hand-cleaning agent. You must always clean your hands after using the toilet, before meals and upon leaving your room.
• Health-care staff and visitors must clean their hands when they enter and leave your room. Do not be shy about reminding everyone to clean their hands.
• Be sure to ask your nurse for information about preventing infections, and assistance you may need to clean your hands or use PPE.

Other resources:

• MRSA Overview (HealthLinkBC)

Vancomycin-Resistant enterococcus (VRE) is commonly spread by direct contact with an infected person, usually with the hands.
In most situations, the spread of VRE and other bacteria can be controlled by diligent hand washing.
Occasionally additional precautions are needed to protect others in the hospital who are ill and more likely to develop an infection. VRE can be more easily spread with diarrhea.

In a health-care facility:

• Hand hygiene is effective in killing germs. Practice careful hand hygiene. Lather wet hands for 30 seconds before rinsing with water, or use alcohol-based hand rub and rub until hands are dry.
• Always clean your hands after using the toilet and before leaving your room. Staff, volunteers, and visitors will also be advised to clean their hands.
• Use appropriate toileting facilities.
• Avoid touching any open sores.
• Do not share personal items. This includes towels, washcloths, razors, soap, creams, lotions, cosmetics, toothbrushes, nail files, combs and brushes.
• Follow your health-care provider’s instructions. Tell anyone who treats you that you were known to have VRE.

Other resources:

• Cover your cough

• You may be placed in a single room, if available, or you may be with other patients but separated by distance or privacy curtains.
• Staff may wear additional protection such as gowns, gloves or masks when they provide care for you or clean your room/bed space. A ‘precaution’ sign will be placed on your door to remind others who enter your room about the need to wear PPE or other precautions before entering your room.
• Your room will be cleaned and disinfected on a regular schedule based on the infection you have. Equipment may be dedicated to you and remain in your room. 
• Cleaning hands regularly by staff, patients, residents and visitors is the best way of preventing the spread of infection.

• If family and visitors provide care to you (for example, assisting with bathing, toileting, changing incontinence products and caring for wounds), they may have to wear PPE. Your health-care provider will advise what is needed and how to use it. 
• Feeding and pushing a wheelchair are not considered direct care.
• Before leaving your room, visitors must remove the gloves and gown and dispose of them in a garbage/linen container located in your room. Then they must clean their hands.
• Your family and visitors should not assist other patients with their personal care as this may cause the germ to spread.

If you had germs that placed you on precautions when you were in the hospital, the chance of spreading the germ to your family is low as long as you practice good hand hygiene habits.

• Ensure that everyone who assists with your personal hygiene washes their hands after contact with you.
• Wash your hands before you prepare any food and before you eat.
• Wash your hands well after using the toilet. Make sure others that use the bathroom, or sneeze, cough or blow their nose, wash their hands well afterwards. Cough or sneeze into your sleeve or tissue. If using a tissue, dispose of it in the trash and clean your hands.
• Clean your clothes in the same manner as the rest of the household laundry.
• Use common household disinfectants and routine cleaning for your home. Special cleaning of furniture or items (e.g., dishes) is not required.
• Always tell your physician, paramedics, nurses or other care providers that you have a germ requiring precautions, to help prevent its spread to others.