Infection is a recognized risk of medical care, and the risk increases for patients who have catheters (tubes) inserted. Many infections in the hospital can be prevented by taking precautionary measures, such as:

• Following strict guidelines for inserting and using central venous catheters and other indwelling devices (tubes).
• Healthcare workers thoroughly cleaning their hands and the hospital environment
• Prescribing and using antibiotics appropriately
• Other practices shown to reduce infection

While not all infections are preventable, we can look at how we compare to other hospitals. This can help us identify areas where we may be able to improve.

Below are our quality measures relating to infection and infection control: