SYDNEY, N.S. – A new report says the layout of Cape Breton Regional Hospital’s intermediate care unit and the failure of staff to properly wash their hands contributed to a recent outbreak of C. difficile.
The report says there were a total of six confirmed hospital cases of the bacterium during the outbreak between Dec. 21 and Feb. 3.
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Two of those patients died, but the cause of death in both cases is still under review.
The report says the hospital needs to strengthen infection control practices.
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Earlier in 2011, 64 patients in seven of the Cape Breton Regional Health Authority’s nine hospitals were affected by an outbreak of C. difficile that lasted several months.
A report on that outbreak by the Public Health Agency of Canada made a number of recommendations ranging from hospital renovations to reducing patient transfers.
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