Asepsis Week 3 Simulation Study

Sarah Gold case

C. diff stands for

Clostridioides difficile (formerly Clostridium difficile)

C. diff is a bacterium that causes

Severe diarrhea and colitis (life threatening)

C. diff can infect

anyone

Most cases of C. diff infection occur while

Taking antibiotics or not long after you’ve finished taking antibiotics

Increased C. diff risk if:

1. You’ve had a previous infection with C. diff or known exposure to the germs

2. Being 65 or older

3. Recent stay at a hospital or nursing home

4. A weakened immune system, such as people with HIV/AIDS, cancer, or organ transplant patients taking immunosuppressive drugs

C. diff develops within

a few days or up to several weeks after you take antibiotics

C. diff symptoms

1. Severe diarrhea

2. Fever

3. Stomach tenderness or pain

4. Loss of appetite

5. Nausea

If you have signs or symptoms, see a doctor and they will

Review your signs and symptoms and order a lab test

If positive for C. diff you’ll take an antibiotic for

10 days

After you’ve recovered you could still be

Colonized

Colonized means that

1. The germs will still be in your body but you wont feel sick.

2. But you can still spread it to others, so practice good hand hygiene

   1. Tell all your healthcare providers that youve had C. diff

About 1 in 6 people infected will get it again in

2 - 8 weeks

C. diff prevention

1. Wash your hands with soap and water every time you use the bathroom and before eating

2. Try to use a separate bathroom if you have diarrhea

3. Take showers and use soap

C. diff estimated to cause _____ illnesses in the US each year

Half a million

Estimated ______ deaths due to C. diff

29,300

One in 11 people over 65 diagnosed with healthcare-associated C. diff

die within a month

People are 7-10 times more likely to get C. diff while

Taking an antibiotic and during the month after

Extended stays in health care settings like hospitals and nursing homes

Increase c. diff risk

More than 80% of C. diff deaths occur in people

65 and older

C. diff spreads when

1. People touch surfaces that are contaminated with poop from an infected person

2. People dont wash their hands with soap and water

C. diff also spreads when

One healthcare facility fails to notify another when it transfers a patient with C. diff

Healthcare professionals can help PREVENT C. diff by

1. Optimizing the way they prescribe antibiotics

2. Using the tests that give the most accurate results

3. Rapidly identifying and isolating patients with C. diff

4. Wearing gloves and gowns when treating patients with C. diff

5. Cleaning surfaces in rooms where C. diff patients are treated with EPA-approved, spore-killing disinfectant

Does hand sanitizer kill C. diff

NO

Contact Plus Precautions

1. Perform Hand Hygiene before and after contact

2. Wear PPE

3. Dedicate Patient Care Equipment

4. Limit the movement/transport of patient (place gown/sheet on patient if transport is necessary)

Contact Plus because Sarah has

C. diff

Donning

1. Gown

2. Mask

3. Goggles

4. Gloves

Doffing

1. Gloves

2. Goggles

3. Gown

4. Mask

5. Wash hands with Soap and Water