C.difficile (Clostridium difficile) Reporting

The dedicated health professionals who work at Runnymede Healthcare Centre are committed to providing the best possible care for our patients and the community. Our hospital supports any initiative that will enhance patient safety, improve performance and strengthen the public’s confidence in Ontario’s hospitals.

Patients can be assured that Runnymede Healthcare Centre is a safe environment that delivers leading specialized complex continuing care.

C. difficile (Clostridium difficile)

Public reporting of Runnymede Healthcare Centre’s C. difficile rates will allow us to establish a baseline from which our hospital can track our rates over time.  Should rates rise above our baseline we will internally review our processes, identifying areas for improvement, and implement strategies to reduce the incidence C. difficile. Runnymede Healthcare Centre posts its infection rates online on a monthly basis. On the Hospital’s website you can find information about hospital-acquired infection rates for C. difficile.

What is C. difficile?
C. difficile or Clostridium difficile is one of the many types of bacteria that can be found in feces (bowel movements), and has been a know cause of health care-associated diarrhea for about 30 years.

Where does C. difficile come from?
C. difficile is not new. Although people may associate it with health care settings, it doesn’t come from hospitals, long-term care homes or laboratories. It is found in the intestine, occurring naturally in about 3 to 5% of adults without causing health issue symptoms.

What causes C. difficile?
C. difficile can be picked up on the hands from exposure in the environment and can get into the stomach once the mouth is touched, or if food is handled and then swallowed. Once in the stomach, the bacteria usually will not to cause any problems unless the other bowel bacteria are disturbed, which can happen when antibiotics are taken. The use of antibiotics increases the chances of developing C. difficile diarrhea as it alters the normal level of good bacteria found in the intestines and colon. Without the presence of the normal bowel bacteria, the C. difficile bacteria may start to grow and produce a toxin that can damage the bowel and lead to watery diarrhea, fever and abdominal pain or tenderness.

What are the symptoms of C. difficile?
The usual symptoms are mild but can be severe. Main symptoms are watery diarrhea, fever, abdominal pain and/or tenderness. In some cases there may not be diarrhea. Blood may or may not be present in the stools.

How does C. difficile spread?
When a person has C. difficile, the bacteria in their feces can contaminate surfaces such as toilets, bedpans, commode chairs and even door handles if it’s on their hands.  Other healthy individuals can contaminate themselves by touching these surfaces, and potentially infect themselves if they don’t properly wash their hands. The main cause for the spread of C. difficile is inadequate hand hygiene and environmental cleaning. C. difficile produces spores that survive for long periods and are resistant to destruction by many environmental factors e.g. temperature, humidity, etc.

Good hand hygiene is the single-most effective way to prevent the spread of infectious diseases like C. difficile.

Who is at risk for C. Difficile?
Healthy people are not usually susceptible to C. difficile. Seniors and people who have other illnesses or conditions being treated with antibiotics and certain other stomach medications are at greater risk of an infection from C. difficile.

How us C. difficile treated?
Treatment depends on how sick you are. People with mild symptoms may not need treatment. For more severe disease, antibiotics are required.

What precautions are used to prevent the spread of C. difficile at Runnymede Healthcare Centre?
If you are in the Hospital and have C. difficile diarrhea, you will be put on precautions until you are free from diarrhea for at least two days. Your activities outside your room may be restricted. All health care staff who enter your room will wear a gown and gloves. Everyone MUST clean their hands when leaving your room.

How does Runnymede Healthcare Centre calculate the C. difficile rate?
Runnymede Healthcare Centre, along with every other hospital in Ontario monitors its rates of infectious pathogens like C. difficile.  The C. difficile infection rate is calculated at a rate of 1,000 patient days. The “total patient days” represents the sum of the number of days during which services were provided to all inpatients during the given time period. The rate is calculated as follows:

Number of new hospital acquired cases of C. difficile/total number of patient days(for one Month) x 1000