If you are a hospital worker, healthcare volunteer or nursing home professional, you can help prevent C-diff infections. Whether it's your job to nurse the C-diff patient back to health, bathe them or simply clean their room, you can turn around the spread of this terrible infection and save somebody's life.
To understand how you can prevent the spread of C-diff, guidelines are important.
First, what is C-diff? C-diff is a bacteria that is found in human feces. How is this infection spread? Healthcare workers can spread the bacteria to patients or contaminate surfaces through hand contact. Any high-touch surface, device, or material––such as toilets or water faucets rectal thermometers–– that becomes contaminated with feces is dangerous.
What is the best way to combat C-diff? The answer is simple: good hygiene. If hospital staff consistently practices good hygienic protocol, the number of C-diff infections in hospitals and nursing care facilities can dramatically drop. Statistics show that over a two-year period hospitals that have followed good C-diff guidelines have seen a 20 percent decrease in hospital-associated C-diff infections. Communication is key to a successful hygienic protocol; share information with all team members' care for your patient.
Results from a recent swabbing test of North Texas healthcare facilities indicates that healthcare workers and volunteers should be aware of high-touch, high-contamination surfaces. The swabbing study showed that exam tables, computer keyboards, light switches, door handles, faucet handles, toilet handles and curtain wands all revealed C-diff spore contamination. Make sure that these surfaces are cleaned regularly with bleach or another EPA-approved, spore-killing disinfectant.