New Study Finds C-Diff Bacteria Tops MRSA in Hospital Environments
April 2nd, 2010
A study conducted over the course of 2008 and 2009 at Duke University Medical Center has recently been released, and researchers have found that Clostridium difficile (more commonly known as "C-Diff") appears to be on the rise in medical facilities across the board, including hospitals, long-term care facilities, and nursing homes.
Media outlets nationwide are reporting the story--from USA Today to the Houston Examiner--because, until now, MRSA has been regarded as the most serious infection threat in medical facilities.
"As bacteria and viruses have become increasing resistant to antibiotics in patient treatment, so too are they more challenging to eradicate from an environmental cleaning perspective," explains Hospital Housekeeping Systems (HHS) Western Division President David Sadera.
"One recent study suggested that, without the proper cleaning protocol, a room that held a patient with C-diff could still have as much of 78% of contact surfaces contaminated after environmental cleaning," says Sadera. "That's why, at our National Training Center in Houston, Texas, we consistently strive to seek out new chemical agents and cleaning processes, so we can offer our partner hospitals improved disinfection results with C-Diff, MRSA and other virulent infections."
HHS's chemical protocols include the CDC suggested 10-1 bleach cleaning after an initial cleaning with a disinfectant detergent cleaner. New products such as Hydrogen Peroxide based cleaners are being brought to market with claims of C-Diff efficacy and less negative environmental impact.
HHS also incorporates micro-fiber cleaning tools which have shown to be more effective at matter retention-helping ensure that spores are physically removed from contact surfaces.
"While there is still is no product which effectively eliminates C-diff spores," Sadera explains, "EVS workers can still help win the battle by killing the organism in its vegetative state and removing lingering spores from contact surfaces."
For more information on infection control and cleaning protocols, please contact David Sadera directly.
