[1studentnurse]

Silvergirl:

Sure, you have to wash with Cdiff, but there is documented evidence that hand santizing is appropriate if you are not dealing with patients with Cdiff. This is why our facility sends in the "hand sanitizing police". They look at the signs (required for Cdiff pts) and monitor us going in and out of rooms. They're like mystery shoppers, so we have no idea who they are.

We also mark and if possible, disable the hand sanitizer dispensers in Cdiff rooms, so staff don't inadvertenly use them upon leaving the rooom.

Cdiff is a whole other ballgame, but hand sanitizing is the name of the game whether it's alcohol-based or handwashing. Besides, some people don't come anywhere near the 15-30 seconds of friction they need to actually remove the organisms during handwashing.

We also have rules as to when we should handwash, and it's lengthy. Face touching (as in touching your cheek) also requires handwashing.

From my short time in rehab, I've noticed one of the most important things is monitoring antibiotic use. (We ask about them and our pharmacy notifies the physician, NP, if they're on the record for more than 14 days). If you use them too long, someone is bound to get Cdiff. Many of our patients now routinely get Lactobacillus when on antibiotic therapy.