Clostridium difficile, or C. diff, is one tough bug.
A study looked at how the bacteria is spread (via Hospital Medicine Quick Hits) throughout the hospital during an outbreak.
Disturbingly, it was found in 15% of non-isolation patient rooms, 31% of physician work areas, and 21% of portable medical equipment, including pulse oximeters, medication carts, and bar code scanners.
The moral? Wash your hands frequently, especially in the setting of a C. difficile outbreak. Alcohol-based sanitizers aren’t effective in killing the spores. You need old-fashioned soap and water.
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