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Have you ever been admitted to the hospital for surgery or illness? Have you ever caught an infection unrelated to your surgery or illness? If so, you have been the victim of a nosocomial infection also known as hospital-acquired infections.
C. difficile, MRSA (methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus), are well known, but there are many others.
Do you know that you have more chances to die from a nosocomial infection than from a car accident?
Every year in Quebec, 90 000 people are afflicted by these infections and, of that number, 4000 die immediately.
A minimum of 50% of these infections could be avoided by better prevention and control measures such as strict hand hygiene.
Nosocomial infections are also very costly to the health system. On average they cost 180 millions dollars yearly.
By joining ADVIN you contribute to the promotion of safe care and quality hospitals.
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A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT FOR C. DIFFICILE AGAINST A QUEBEC HOSPITAL |
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Written by Christine Besson
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Sunday, 07 September 2008 |
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On August 27th, 2008 a class action lawsuit was launched against Honoré Mercier Hospital in St. Hyacinthe, Quebec on behalf of seventy patients who were infected with a nosocomial strain of C. Difficile.
Sixteen of the patients died, prompting coroner Catherine Trudel – Tessier to order an inquiry. The coroner’s report stated that in spite of being warned by an infection prevention team, hospital management had made serious errors and omissions.
An outbreak of seventy C. Difficile cases between May and December 2006 at the same hospital was not an isolated incident but rather a disturbing trend. In 2004 – 2005, forty-five cases of C. Difficile were reported at the hospital and during the period from April 1st, 2005 to February 4th, 2006, the infection prevention team reported forty-one new cases. According to the coroner’s report, hospital administration failed to recognize the seriousness of the situation and categorically refused to implement recommended preventative measures. This failure occurred at all levels: infected patients were not quarantined, cleaning and disinfection of hospital rooms was inadequate and not even carried out on weekends, and bedpans were not disinfected etc. After the inquiry was launched, a new hospital director was appointed and the situation was rectified. The C. Difficile infection rate dropped 60% within a few months.
This clearly proves that nosocomial infections are the result of failures and errors in infection prevention committed by hospital administration and not complications of the original illness or condition that required hospitalization.
A law passed in 2006 limits the scope of class action suits by preventing victims from banding together and launching a suit against the entire hospital network. Rather, class action suits can only be launched against a specific institution or individual. The class action suit against Honoré Mercier Hospital was made possible by the revelations of the coroner’s report.
The lawsuit demands $50,000 for each patient infected by C. Difficile, exemplary damages, and complete compensation for any expenses incurred. In all, the final tally could reach five to ten million dollars.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court must decide whether or not to let the lawsuit proceed. This could take several months. |
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