Topic-specific infection prevention
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- Antimicrobial Stewardship
- Catheter-associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI)
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- Clostridioides difficile
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Often referred to as deadly diarrhea, Clostridioides difficile (C. diff) causes at least 250,000 infections and 14,000 deaths each year in hospitalized patients. People who are most at-risk for getting C. diff include older adults and patients who take antibiotics while receiving medical care. The antibiotics can kill the “good germs,” allowing C. diff to grow. This page contains C. diff prevention resources and education for both healthcare professionals and consumers.
The following links are APIC resources on Clostridium difficile prevention for healthcare professionals.
Implementation guides and tools
- Strategies to Prevent Clostridium difficile Infections in Acute Care Hospitals: 2014 Update—Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (APIC collaborated with SHEA and other organizations on development of this resource)
- Guide to Preventing Clostridium difficile Infections—Implementation Guide
- Antimicrobial stewardship: A collaborative partnership between infection preventionists and health care epidemiologists—APIC and the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America, March 2012
- The IP Col-lab-oration Project Educational Toolkit
- 2013 Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) Pace of Progress Survey
- Preventing transmission of Clostridium difficile in healthcare settings, Fishbone diagram
- FAQ on Testing Asymptomatic Patients for C. difficile
- APIC Text (subscription required)
Education & training
APIC offers a comprehensive collection of clinical education and professional development programs. The following resources are educational opportunities related to Clostridium difficile. Visit the Education & Certification page for more educational opportunities.
- “Best” Practices for Surface Disinfection—APIC Webinar
- Global perspective on Clostridium difficile: With specific focus on Dutch infection prevention measures—APIC Webinar
- Microbiology 101 for Infection Preventionists—APIC Webinar
- Visit the APIC 2016 Annual Conference website to search for education on Clostridium difficile
Prevention Strategist articles
The following links include articles on Clostridium difficile from APIC’s Prevention Strategist magazine.
- Clostridium difficile infection: Meeting the challenge (summary of APIC’s March 2013 C. difficile Educational and Consensus Conference)
- My Bugaboo: Clostridium difficile
- Infection prevention + antimicrobial stewardship = synergy
- Clostridium difficile: A multifaceted approach to prevention
AJIC articles
Search the American Journal of Infection Control website for more articles on Clostridium difficile. To access these articles, you need to first login to the APIC website.
External resources
- Vital Signs: Protect Patients from Antibiotic Resistance, March 2016—Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- CDC’s Antibiotic Resistance Patient Safety Atlas—Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- Menu of Strategies to Prevent Clostridium difficile Infections—Illinois Campaign to Eliminate Clostridium difficile
- Reducing C. difficile infections Toolkit—Greater New York Hospital Association United Hospital Fund
- On the Way to Achieving 100% Compliance with the C. difficile bundle—University of Florida
- Guidance for Industry: Fecal transplantation to treat C. diff—FDA
- Multistate Point-Prevalence Survey of Health Care–Associated Infections—The New England Journal of Medicine
- Antibiotic resistance threats in the United States, 2013—CDC, HHS
- Stopping C. difficile Infections—CDC Vital Signs
The following links are APIC and external resources on Clostridium difficile for consumers.
APIC
- Clostridium difficile—Monthly alert for consumers
- Antibiotic use—Monthly alert for consumers
- FAQ about Clostridium difficile
External resources
- Clostridium difficile Infection—Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- C. difficile information—MayoClinic
- Clostridium difficile infections—MedlinePlus
- Stopping C. difficile Infections—CDC Vital Signs