BURNABY (NEWS1130) – Dozens of people have died because of complications related to C. Difficile over the last few years. Burnaby Hospital has spent months doing what it can to prevent more deaths and now management says all that work seems to be paying off.

The year-to-date rate of facility-associated infections of CDI at Burnaby Hospital is 9.8 CDI infections per 10,000 patient days, which is a significant reduction over the 15.2 CDI cases per 10,000 patient days that was recorded in 2011-12.

Executive Director Cathie Heritage says it’s making progress in wiping out the infection.
    
“We’ve implemented some great hand hygiene and audit practices in the hospital.   We are also looking for appropriate anti-biotic treatment.  We’re addressing now the needs for more single and isolation rooms in the facility….as well as all of the environmental cleaning practices which are going on and audits around those cleaning practices,” explains Heritage.

She says the goal is to continue that trend that why a new 19 bed medicine unit to give patients more room is being created to help stop the bacteria from spreading.
    
“It’s our intention by moving patients from three bed rooms into either single bed rooms or into doubles there will be more space,” says Heritage. “It’ll be better for nursing care because it will allow our team members more space to work, to move, and allow the patients more privacy, and also prevent with the reduction of infection and transmission of infection rates.”

But the current measures to get rid of the potentially deadly infection come at a price. As a result of implementing the new medicine unit, a 42 bed Transitional Care Unit will be closing in the coming months. Those patients which aren’t in need of critical care will be displaced to other areas in the community.
    
Heritage says the staff at the TCU will be laid off and moved to other positions within Fraser Health.