Patient Safety in Ontario Acute Care Hospitals: A Snapshot of Hospital-Acquired Infection Control Practices

According to a new analysis from the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI), 99% of the 103 Ontario hospitals participating in a 2008 patient safety survey reported that they had a formal hand hygiene policy in place, and just more than one-third of these (38%) established an auditing process to ensure that proper handwashing procedures are being followed. Hand hygiene is recognized in Canada and internationally as a top patient safety priority measure in preventing the spread of infections, and auditing is a key component in ensuring observance of hand hygiene policies.