Like many hospitals we have struggled to control the rise of hospital acquired C. difficile infections. We have finally turned the corner and have decreased the rate of infection with a broad platform that includes enhanced hand hygiene (soap and water), early detection and isolation of patients, heightened bleach daily and terminal room disinfection (with audits and feedback) and the aggressive deployment of UV-C light robots (again, with audits and feedback) for the terminal cleaning of rooms previously inhabited by a C.difficile patient. The focus is on isolation and bioburden (spore) reduction.
As with many similar multi-pronged strategies, the proportionate impact of each component is hard to measure.
Note this important paper, recently published, that underscores the importance and impact (25% reduction) on C.difficile incidence of strategically deploying a UV-C irradiating robot for terminal room disinfection.
The environment is an important driver of hospital acquired C.difficile infections.
