The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced a statewide collaborative in Massachusetts led to a decrease in hospital-acquired C. difficile infections.
According to the CDC's report, Massachusetts saw a 40 percent increase in the number of hospital discharges with a CDI diagnosis from 2003 to 2009. The Massachusetts Department of Public Health and the Massachusetts Coalition for the Prevention of Medical Errors launched a statewide CDI prevention learning collaborative in May 2010. A total of 27 acute- and post-acute care hospitals participated in the 20-month collaborative.
Participating hospitals formed multidisciplinary teams, including representatives from infection prevention, nursing, quality improvement, clinical leadership, microbiology, pharmacy and environmental services and others. The collaborative supported a common set of practice recommendations in the areas of surveillance, testing, isolation policies, hand hygiene, contact precautions, and environmental cleaning and disinfection, with additional support for antibiotic stewardship.
The collaborative also offered training, with a strong emphasis on engaging frontline staff in identifying barriers and tested solutions. These efforts led to a 25 percent decrease in CDI among participating hospitals.
According to the CDC's report, Massachusetts saw a 40 percent increase in the number of hospital discharges with a CDI diagnosis from 2003 to 2009. The Massachusetts Department of Public Health and the Massachusetts Coalition for the Prevention of Medical Errors launched a statewide CDI prevention learning collaborative in May 2010. A total of 27 acute- and post-acute care hospitals participated in the 20-month collaborative.
Participating hospitals formed multidisciplinary teams, including representatives from infection prevention, nursing, quality improvement, clinical leadership, microbiology, pharmacy and environmental services and others. The collaborative supported a common set of practice recommendations in the areas of surveillance, testing, isolation policies, hand hygiene, contact precautions, and environmental cleaning and disinfection, with additional support for antibiotic stewardship.
The collaborative also offered training, with a strong emphasis on engaging frontline staff in identifying barriers and tested solutions. These efforts led to a 25 percent decrease in CDI among participating hospitals.
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