According to the latest guidelines from the IDSA, patients with C difficile infection should have a private room with a dedicated toilet. If private single rooms are limited, prioritize patients with stool incontinence for placement in private rooms. If cohorting is required, patients should share a room with another patient infected or colonized with the same organism. Patients with C difficile should not share a room with patients who have other multidrug-resistant infections, such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus or vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus.
According to the IDSA, data are insufficient to recommend routine screening for asymptomatic carriers or placing these carriers on contact precautions. Contact precautions should be continued for at least 48 hours after the diarrhea has resolved in patients with C difficile. Hand hygiene should be performed before and after contact with a patient who has C difficile infection. Soap and water is generally preferred to alcohol-based hand hygiene products before and after caring for a patient with C difficile infection due to the increased efficacy of spore removal with soap and water.
Read more on the prevention of C difficile infection.
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Cite this: B.S. Anand. Fast Five Quiz: Clostridium difficile - Medscape - Aug 05, 2019.
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