C. Diff Reduction I What We Can Do

​​C. diff is a spore-forming, Gram-positive anaerobic bacillus that is a common cause of antibiotic-associated diarrhea.  Diseases that can result from C. diff infection (CDI) are pseudomembranous colitis, toxic megacolon, perforations of the colon, sepsis and death.

Symptoms of CDI include watery diarrhea, fever, loss of appetite, nausea and abdominal pain/tenderness. Residents/patients are at increased risk for CDI if they have had antibiotic exposure, gastrointestinal surgery, long length of stay in a healthcare setting, serious underlying illness, immunocompromising conditions and advanced age.

Prevention includes using antibiotics appropriately, using contact precautions for those with known or suspected CDI, dedicate equipment to the person, wash hands with soap and water, continue CDI precautions until diarrhea ceases, implement an environmental cleaning and disinfection strategy and use an EPA-registered disinfectant with sporicidal claim for environmental surface disinfection after cleaning in accordance with label instructions.

“C. diff can be deadly to our elderly, our very young and vulnerable populations. In North Dakota and South Dakota, our Medicare data continues to show that we are above the national average for hospitalizations from nursing homes related to C. diff infections, especially from our nursing home short-stay residents.  We encourage you to review your antibiotic stewardship practices and policies and continue the work that was started prior to COVID-19.  This will help to reduce C diff and C diff infections by reducing inappropriate antibiotic use,” shared Tammy Wagner, RN, LSSGB; Great Plains QIN Quality Improvement Advisor.

Visit the CDC C. diff page for additional resources, trainings and fact sheets.

Use these tools, developed by Great Plains QIN, to reduce CDI in your organization:

View our Friday Focus 4 Health series on this topic

March 2023 | Clostridium Difficile Infections (CDI)