C. diff

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Washing Hands Can Make a Difference

Wash your hands before eating takes a whole new turn afterreading this article in LI Newsday.A recent article in Long Island’s Newsday by Delthia Ricksexplains in detail the problems with the bacterial infection Clostridiumdifficile, also known as C. diff.  Thisbacterial infection, known to cause severe pain, diarrhea and high fever is aserious problem in hospitals throughout the country.   In 2009 there were 337,000 cases Ricksreports in the article, more than doubling the number from the less than tenyears earlier. The spores can live for months and can be spread if notkilled with bleach in a room where the spores might be living in a patient’sroom.  To clean hands from the sporessoap and water must be used.  The handsanitizers won’t do it.So how does this change what we already know?  As a patient safety educator I will letpeople know that soap and water must be used when someone enters the room totreat a patient.   If you feeluncomfortable asking someone to wash their hands, carry this article with youand tape it to the patient’s wall.  When a family memberor friend visit – leave the flowers home and bring a container of Cloroxwipes.  Grab some gloves and wipe downthe room.  The tray table, bed rails,door and door knob, TV remote, call bell and sink.

Wash your own hands repeatedly with soap and water and ifyou touch anything wash again.  Yourhands may be clean when you come in but anything you touch can be contaminatedwhich will start the process of contamination over again.A recent discussion at a group training caused an outburstby a woman when I suggested that unless hands are noticeably soiled,antibacterial lotion can be used.  Shewas upset by this comment because her mother suffered from C. diff.  Her knowledge on the subject made me and mycolleague Jeff, who has been offering these programs with me, to rethink how wediscuss infection prevention.  If C. diffis as big a problem as it is said to be then we have a right to insist on soapand water.

NY State information on C.diff http://www.health.ny.gov/publications/1495/
Pamphlet on C.Diff http://www.health.ny.gov/publications/signature/1495.pdf