Eastern Health is investigating its first potential in-hospital
transmission of clostridium difficile. Also known as
c.difficile, clostridium difficile is a bacteria that can cause
serious gastrointestinal illness and diarrhea and is often
caused by overuse of antibiotics that kill off good intestinal
bacteria. In a news release today, Eastern Health said this
finding makes it more critical for employees within the
organization to adhere to proper hand hygiene practices. The
health authority also released results of its 2012 hand hygiene
audit which indicate the rate of compliance for proper hand
hygiene has decreased when compared to its 2011 audit. “It is
well-known throughout the health-care system that hand hygiene
is the single most effective way to prevent the spread of
communicable diseases and infections among our patients and our
employees,” said Eastern Health president and CEO Vickie
Kaminski. “The increased awareness of the importance of hand
hygiene, combined with more focus on education and hand