Surveillance

From April 1st, 2014, to March 31st, 2015, 88 healthcare facilities took part in the hospital-wide surveillance of bloodstream infections (BSIs), for a combined total of 4,733,772 patient-days. Participating facilities reported 3,035 BSIs in 2,832 patients. The total incidence rate was 5.3 cases per 10,000 patient-days. The incidence rate in 2014–2015 was significantly lower compared to the average rate for 2010–2014 in facilities that…

From April 1, 2014, to March 31, 2015, 95 healthcare facilities participated in the surveillance of Clostridium difficile–associated diarrhea (CDAD), for a combined total of 5,076,655 inpatient days. The participating facilities reported 3,453 cases of healthcare-associated (HA) CDAD. The incidence rate of HA CDAD was 6.8 cases per 10,000 patient days. This incidence rate was significantly lower compared to the rate of 2013–2014. The 10-day…

From April 1, 2014, to March 31, 2015, 89 healthcare facilities took part in the surveillance of healthcare-associated vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) infections, for a combined total of 4,839,578 patient days (Table 1). In total, 87 VRE infections were reported among patients who contracted strain during a current or previous hospital stay in the reporting facility (categories 1a + 1b). The incidence rate of healthcare-associated VRE infections (cat. 1a + 1b) was 0.18 / 10…

From April 1, 2014, to March 31, 2015, 88 healthcare facilities participated in the surveillance of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bloodstream infections, for a combined total of 4,689,050 inpatient days (Table 1). Together, these facilities reported 95 cases of healthcare-associated MRSA. The incidence rate was 0.20 / 10,000 patient-days. This incidence rate has declined over the past five years but has stabilized……

Among the risk factors for cardiovascular disease, hypertension is the leading factor since 13% of deaths overall are attributed to it. Given the considerable weight of this risk factor from the standpoint of public health, it is necessary that population-based studies be conducted to measure its prevalence and evolution over time. In Québec, the universal healthcare system is administered, among other things, by means of health administrative databases that are constantly being updated and…

The term dementia refers to a group of degenerative diseases that affect cognitive function and lead to loss of functional autonomy. Vascular dementia and Alzheimer’s disease (AD) are the most common forms of dementia. In this report, the term “Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders” will be used.

Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders generally start appearing from the age of 60 to 65 years of age and onwards. They affect individuals’ daily functioning by…

The aim of this report is to describe the use of administrative databases to estimate the prevalence of diagnosed group B personality disorders, along with service utilization and mortality. This group will be compared to personality disorders outside of group B and to serious or common psychiatric conditions (schizophrenia, anxio-depressive disorders) concerning which the INSPQ has already published.

Group B personality disorders represent a common psychiatric condition.…

The ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux (MSSS) mandated the Institut national de santé publique du Québec (INSPQ) with the provincial surveillance of healthcare-associated infections (HAI), as outlined in the 2003–2012 Programme national de santé publique (Public Health Plan), revised in 2008 as well as in the 2006–2009 and 2010–2015 versions of the Plan d’action sur la prévention et le contrôle des infections nosocomiales (Action Plan for Preventing and Controlling HAIs) aimed at…

A new government intervention plan was adopted in early 2013 to protect public health against West Nile virus (WNV) infection, since WNV infection epidemiological activity had resumed in Québec in 2011 and 2012. This new plan establishes the strategy to be pursued for the years 2013 to 2015. The primary objective of the strategy adopted by public health authorities is to prevent the complications and human mortality related to WNV infection.

Interventions are planned to combat…

In 2013, integrated surveillance of West Nile virus (WNV) in Québec included epidemiological surveillance of human cases, entomological surveillance of mosquitoes and surveillance of animals, including wild birds and domestic animals (agricultural).

During this season, 30 human cases of WNV infection were acquired in Québec, including 29 confirmed cases and one probable case. Of these, 23 (77%) were classed as WNV neuroinvasive cases and 22 were hospitalized, including…