Cdiff and handwashing

[edbed25]

Recently, I have had multiple patients with Cdiff. On other floors in my hospital, there are special isolation rooms with a sink right outside, or there is a bathroom right near the entrance of the room. I am on a telemetry floor and the rooms we have that are private have a bathroom that is not near the entrance of the room. There is no sink right when you walk in (only hand sanitizer on the wall). So for the patients I have been taking care of with Cdiff that are in a single room, I have to take off my isolation gown and gloves, wash my hands in the patient's bathoom (the only sink available), and then walk out of the patients room (pass her bed and everything else) without a gown on. This seems a little backwards. Is there any suggestion or do you think this is adequate for isolation patients with cdiff. Thanks

[KatieMI, BSN, MSN, RN]

Until you avoid touching anything with your freshly washed hands, there should not be a problem. The isolation is "contact", meaning there has to be a contact between surfaces.

But, IMHO, the described situation, which is extremely common, is just one good reason why "isolation techniques" done the way they usually done are nothing more than spending time, money and efforts.