Reduction of Clostridium difficile Environmental Contamination Through Active Intervention to Improve Cleaning Practices

Abstract

Education and passive observation resulted in a significant improvement in housekeeper disinfection of nontoxigenic Clostridium difficile spores artificially inoculated onto surfaces in C. difficile infection rooms. A further significant reduction occurred with direct supervision and real-time feedback, suggesting that optimal disinfection is achieved by working closely with housekeepers.

“Beyond the Hawthorne Effect: Reduction of Clostridium difficile Environmental Contamination through Active Intervention to Improve Cleaning Practices”

Authors:

Dubert M. Guerrero, MD

Philip C. Carling, MD

Lucy A. Jury, RN

Suresh Ponnada, MD

Michelle M. Nerandzic, BS

Curtis J. Donskey, MD

Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology

Vol. 34, No. 5, Special Topic Issue: The Role of the Environment in Infection Prevention (May 2013), pp. 524-526

Published by: The University of Chicago Press

ORIGINAL ARTICLE