In addition to surveillance and outbreak investigation a system review maybe indicated to identify potential causes of outbreaks and determine appropriate recommendations.
Occurrences of harm are often complex with many contributing factors. Organizations need to:
- Measure and monitor the types and frequency of these occurrences.
- Use appropriate analytical methods to understand the contributing factors.
- Identify and implement solutions or interventions that are designed to prevent recurrence and reduce the risk of harm.
- Have mechanisms in place to mitigate consequences of harm when it occurs.
To develop a more in-depth understanding of the care delivered to patients, chart audits, incident analyses and prospective analyses can be helpful in identifying quality improvement opportunities. Links to key resources for
conducting chart audits and
analysis methods are included in
Hospital Harm Improvement Resources Introduction.
If your surveillance, outbreak investigation or system review reveals that your cases of
C. difficile, MRSA or VRE are linked to breaks in infection prevention and control practices, these resources maybe helpful:
Organizations
Canadian
International
Infection Prevention and Control Programs
Canadian
International
Routine
Practices and Additional Precautions
Canadian
Hand
Hygiene
Canadian
International
Best
Practices in Environmental Cleaning
Canadian
International
Best
Practices in Hospital Surveillance and Screening for Patients at High Risk for
Presence of MRAS and/or VRE
Canadian
International
Best
Practices for Outbreak Management
Canadian
International
Antimicrobial Stewardship
Canadian
International
Best Practices for IPAC for Clostridium difficile (C.
difficile), MRSA and VRE
Canadian
International
Patient Education and Engagement
Canadian