Sodium Difficile Essay
Clostridium Difficile People getting medical care can catch serious infections called healthcare-associated infections or HAI’s. One type of HAI which is caused by the germ Clostridium Difficile or C-Diff. In 2015 it was estimated almost half a million infections in the United Ststes, and 29,000 died within 30 days of the initial diagnosis. Those most at risk are older adults, who take antibiotics and also get medical care. The CDC provides guidelines and tools for the healthcare population to help prevent C-Diff infections as well as providing resources to help the public protect their own health. Clostridium difficile is shed in feces. Any surface, device, or material that comes contaminated with feces may serve as a reservoir for the
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Clostridium Difficile spores. Clostridium difficile spores are transferred to patients mainly through the hands of healthcare employees who have touched a contaminated surface or item. Clostridium Difficile can live for long periods on many types of surfaces. Symptoms include watery diarrhea, fever, loss of appetite, nausea, and abdominal pain, and tenderness. For people with mild symptoms, no treatment may be required. In the more severe cases, medication and occasionally surgery may be essential. There are also new treatments, such as fecal transplantation, currently being studied for treating persistent Clostridium Difficile infections. Nurses play a critical role in Clostridium Difficile prevention and transmission.
Spores are transmitted from patient to patient via inappropriately sanitized or washed hands and also through the use of contaminated communal equipment. Thorough hand hygiene, using soap and water, and strict adherence to isolation precautions are therefore the foundation for effective Clostridium Difficile transmission prevention. Hand washing and strict isolation should be observed when caring for patients even after resolution of symptoms improve, as they are still capable of shedding spores long after clinical symptoms subside. It is important for nurses to correspond with their Infection Control staff to determine appropriate duration of isolation for the patient with a current or prior history of Clostridium Difficile infection on a case-by-case basis. Also, nurses must be careful to sanitize equipment that is shared between patients, and partner with environmental services to successfully clean areas of potential contamination. Typically, regular active cleansing ingredients in hospital disinfectants are quaternary ammonium compounds and do not kill spores. The Centers for Disease Control currently recommends using hypochlorite-based germicides, such as bleach-based solutions, for cleaning Clostridium Difficile contaminated surfaces and
equipment.
Resources:
Healthcare-associated Infections. (2016, March 01). Retrieved August 15, 2017, fromhttps://www.cdc.gov/hai/organisms/cdiff/cdiff_infect.html Healthcare-associated Infections. (2015, November 16). Retrieved August 15, 2017, fromhttps://www.cdc.gov/hai/prevent/prevention.html
Clostridium Difficile spores. Clostridium difficile spores are transferred to patients mainly through the hands of healthcare employees who have touched a contaminated surface or item. Clostridium Difficile can live for long periods on many types of surfaces. Symptoms include watery diarrhea, fever, loss of appetite, nausea, and abdominal pain, and tenderness. For people with mild symptoms, no treatment may be required. In the more severe cases, medication and occasionally surgery may be essential. There are also new treatments, such as fecal transplantation, currently being studied for treating persistent Clostridium Difficile infections. Nurses play a critical role in Clostridium Difficile prevention and transmission.
Spores are transmitted from patient to patient via inappropriately sanitized or washed hands and also through the use of contaminated communal equipment. Thorough hand hygiene, using soap and water, and strict adherence to isolation precautions are therefore the foundation for effective Clostridium Difficile transmission prevention. Hand washing and strict isolation should be observed when caring for patients even after resolution of symptoms improve, as they are still capable of shedding spores long after clinical symptoms subside. It is important for nurses to correspond with their Infection Control staff to determine appropriate duration of isolation for the patient with a current or prior history of Clostridium Difficile infection on a case-by-case basis. Also, nurses must be careful to sanitize equipment that is shared between patients, and partner with environmental services to successfully clean areas of potential contamination. Typically, regular active cleansing ingredients in hospital disinfectants are quaternary ammonium compounds and do not kill spores. The Centers for Disease Control currently recommends using hypochlorite-based germicides, such as bleach-based solutions, for cleaning Clostridium Difficile contaminated surfaces and
equipment.
Resources:
Healthcare-associated Infections. (2016, March 01). Retrieved August 15, 2017, fromhttps://www.cdc.gov/hai/organisms/cdiff/cdiff_infect.html Healthcare-associated Infections. (2015, November 16). Retrieved August 15, 2017, fromhttps://www.cdc.gov/hai/prevent/prevention.html