C-Diff

[Butternut]

Are you seeing a lot of C-Diff? There has been so much lately, it seems. Not knowing a whole lot about it and researching it online, some articles say "no cure" others read antibiotics are making people more susceptable to getting it and more articles call it "recurring."

When you are caring for these patients are you gowning up or just gloving? I read in one article that the spores are still alive even in the room and on equipment, AFTER dismissal, for months, if not properly killed with bleach!

Scares me! What if one of our family members get it or what if we get it from caring for the infected patient?

Once a carrier, always a carrier or do they ever really cure someone?

The general public need to know about these super-bugs now and how they are contracted, the terrible symptoms of chronic, watery stools of C-Diff and what if anything alleviates the problem.

Discussion welcome!

[beachmom]

We test for it often when a person has diarrhea, but we rarely have positives here. I think certain resistent organisms are regional.

We get lots of MRSA in our area, both hospital acquired and community acquired. It seems like if anyone has a cellulitis, and if it's tested, it usually is MRSA.

[jajwalker05, LPN]

We have cases of cdiff from time to time. seems like it goes in spells. I always glove and gown when I go into a cdiff room. We always have designated equipement in the room on contact precautions (own thermometer etc). In addition, you must wash with soap and water when leaving the room. I see so many doctors entering cdiff rooms without gowns or gloves carrying charts etc into the rooms - even though hospital staff may follow contact precautions sometimes the physicians just don't....Anyone else find this in their institution?

yes! I'm a cna at my local hospitals, and your right the docs do not follow any protocall on the ISO rooms. are staff are unknowleged about the super bugs, including myself. I was just informed today, that C-diff could not be destroyed with Acohol rubs! after 6 weeks of not knowing that, I can't help but to think I helped spread this too! At least I'm educating myself now!!

[tryingtohaveitall]

yes! I'm a cna at my local hospitals, and your right the docs do not follow any protocall on the ISO rooms. are staff are unknowleged about the super bugs, including myself. I was just informed today, that C-diff could not be destroyed with Acohol rubs! after 6 weeks of not knowing that, I can't help but to think I helped spread this too! At least I'm educating myself now!!

Thanks for bringing this point up. Recently we had a "run" on c. diff and they ended up taking the alcohol sanitizer out of the area where these patients were, as a reminder to everyone to use soap & water.

[blondy2061h, MSN, RN]

We almost never see c-diff, thank God. Maybe 1 case in 6 months.