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The management of Clostridium difficile infection: using small-scale audit to indicate the knowledge of nursing and medical staff in an acute hospital setting

Infection Prevention and Control Nurse Consultant, Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitals, University of Hull, UK, m.madeo{at}hull.ac.uk

Elizabeth Owen

Infection Prevention and Control Nurse Specialist, Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitals

Joy Baruah

Specialist Registrar, Microbiology, Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitals

An audit was undertaken in a large teaching hospital to assess the knowledge of healthcare workers about the management of patients with Clostridium difficile. One hundred and four questionnaires were completed by nurses (n = 46) and medical staff (n = 58). Knowledge on the microbiology of C. difficile appeared to be superior in medical staff, although nurses had more awareness of decontamination issues. The sampling strategy and definition of diarrhoea were found to be areas of poor knowledge as was the ability to identify the main route of spread of the bacterium.

This work resulted in a planned programme of interventions such as educational road shows, updating the C. difficile policy, increasing the stock of chlorine-based agents for cleaning, and the introduction of the Bristol stool chart. It is hoped that these interventions will have an impact on reducing the number of C. difficile cases.

Key Words: Audit • Clostridium difficile • poor knowledge • saving lives • infection prevention

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