Board of Trustees | Community
The G&M Hospital is an integral part of our community. Like other corporations and organizations, we track many measurements to ensure we are meeting the healthcare needs of our communities.
A performance indicator is one of many tools hospitals use to measure how well their services or processes are working and the quality of care they provide. For example, indicators can help us to know how well we care for our patients and how happy our staff, volunteers and physicians are to be working at the G&M. We also support the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care's belief that hospitals should share this information with the public. Comparisons can also help us learn about our strengths and areas for improvement.
Performance indicators provide evidence of progress towards the goals and objectives of the Hospital's Strategic plan. It allows us to monitor where to focus resources to continuously improve the quality of services provided.
The G&M Hospital is dedicated to and works hard to ensure patient safety. We have many programs and initiatives designed to continuously improve patient safety. In addition, we are working with our community to help you stay informed about patient care at the G&M. In an effort to be transparent and provide useful information, we keep track of a number of performance indicators on our website.
About Using Performance Indicators
Performance indicators enable the public to have open discussions with their physicians and to make informed choices. They are not meant to give medical advice. It is always a good idea to talk with your doctor about your treatment and about which hospital may be best for your care.
Submit Comments
Do you have comments or feedback about our performance indicators? Please let us know.
For More Information
Please review frequently asked questions or contact:
Norah Holder, Vice President, Patient Services and Chief Nursing Officer
Collingwood G&M Hospital
459 Hume Street
Collingwood, ON L9Y 1W9
(705) 445.2550 Ext. 8202 or via email
1. Patient Satisfaction, Safety & Outcomes Performance Indicators
a. Infection Prevention and Control Performance Indicators
The delivery of safe and effective patient care is a primary focus of this hospital. One of the many ways of ensuring patients are safe is by monitoring infection rates. Monitoring and regularly reviewing infection rates allows us to quickly address areas of concern and put protective or control measures into place to minimize the risk of further spread of infection.
Clostridium difficile (C. difficile)
Methicillin-Resistant Staphlococcus Aureus (MRSA)
Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococci (VRE)
Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia (VAP) - Fact Sheet
Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia (VAP)
Central Line Infections (CLI) Fact Sheet
Central Line Infections (CLI)
Surgical Site Infection Prevention - Fact Sheet
Surgical Site Infection Prevention (SSI)
Hand Hygiene Compliance
Surgical Safety Checklist
About Healthcare-Associated Infections:
What does "healthcare-associated" mean?
Sometimes patients can get infections when they are in hospital. These are called healthcare-associated (nosocomial) infections if the patient did not have the infection before their hospital stay (e.g. symptoms of infection appear more than 72 hours after the patient is admitted).
Healthcare-associated infections happen through the spread of infectious microorganisms (e.g. bacteria, viruses, fungi, or parasites) in the hospital. These microorganisms can also be commonly found in the community, at work, at school or even in our homes. They may already be present in the patient's body or may come from the hospital environment, equipment, health care workers, other patients or visitors.
All hospitalized patients are at risk of acquiring an infection from a procedure or treatment used to diagnose or treat their initial illness or injury. What can make these infections so troublesome is that they occur in people whose health is already compromised by the condition for which they were first hospitalized.
Some patients are at greater risk than others, especially young children, the elderly, and persons with compromised immune systems. Other risk factors that increase the opportunity for hospitalized patients to acquire infections are:
- a prolonged hospital stay
- severity of underlying illness
- compromised nutritional status
- use of invasive devices that allow "bugs" to enter the body e.g. urinary catheters, intravenous devices
- use of antibiotics and the prevalence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria
- when health care workers, patients, volunteers or visitors do not practice effective hand hygiene.
Most healthcare-associated infections can be prevented if visitors and health care workers follow strict infection prevention and control guidelines when visiting or caring for patients.
Hand hygiene is a responsibility shared among all health care providers. The G&M Hospital actively participates in the Just Clean Your Hands program. This program was created to help hospitals and individuals overcome the barriers to proper hand hygiene and improve compliance with hand hygiene best practices. For more information go to Just Clean Your Hands Program
Common causes of healthcare-associated infections are Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), Vancomycin-resistant Enterococci (VRE) and Clostridium difficile (C.difficile). More information about MRSA, VRE, C. Diff and other healthcare-associated infections is available at Government of Ontario Public Health or Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit.
How does contact with these microorganisms happen?
MRSA, VRE and C.difficile are spread by person-to-person contact. You can get these microorganisms if you touch an infected person, especially if you do not wash your hands regularly. You can also spread the microorganisms if you touch an object that an infected person has touched and the object is not cleaned before you touch it.
What is the difference between colonization and infection?
People that come into contact with MRSA, VRE or C. difficile can become colonized. Colonization means that the microorganisms are in or on your body, but are not causing harm or disease. Unfortunately, some patients that come into contact with MRSA, VRE or C. difficile develop a mild or severe illness. When you get sick from MRSA, VRE or C. difficile, this is called infection rather than colonization.
What is the G&M Hospital doing to minimize and control the spread of infection?
At the G&M Hospital, infection prevention and control is a priority to continuously lower the risk of infection among all patients, visitors and staff. Unfortunately, the spread of microorganisms happens in hospitals and in the community, and we must all work hard to control the problem.
We try and prevent the spread of infection by the following means:
- Encouraging proper hand hygiene
- Keeping all areas clean through appropriate and adequate cleaning of the environment
- Keeping equipment clean by disinfecting and sterilizing between patient use
- Using single-use supplies
- Screening patients to prevent spread of infection
- Promptly diagnosing and placing infectious patients in isolation.
- Providing Infection Prevention and Control Education for staff, physicians, patients, volunteers and visitors
- Actively participating in programs like Just Clean Your Hands.
How can you help?
- If you come to the hospital for a procedure or treatment, always "self-report" (tell us) if you have diarrhea immediately.
- Always clean your hands using proper technique (use hand sanitizer and/or wash hands with soap and water on entering and leaving the hospital, before and after using the toilet and before and after caring for or visiting sick people).
- Do not visit patients at the hospital if you have a cold or the flu.
For more information
Call the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit - Communicable Disease Team: at 705-721-7520 ext. 8809 or call toll free at 1-877-721-7520 or visit www.simcoemuskokahealth.org
b. Patient Safety (coming soon)
Hospital Standardized Mortality Ratio (coming soon)
2. Resource Management (coming soon)
3. Clinical Efficiency, Utilization & System Integration (coming soon)
4. Our People & Internal Processes (coming soon).
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