A nurse is receiving handoff report for a client admitted with severe dehydration secondary to confirmed *Clostridioides difficile* (*C. diff*) colitis. The client has experienced six episodes of profuse, watery diarrhea in the past 4 hours. Which transmission-based precautions and nursing interventions should the nurse implement? Select all that apply.
- Don a clean isolation gown and nonsterile gloves before entering the client's room.Answer
- BInstruct staff to perform hand hygiene using an alcohol-based hand rub upon exiting the room.
- Place the client in a private room or cohort with another client who has an active *Clostridioides difficile* infection.Answer
- Ensure all reusable medical equipment dedicated to the client is disinfected with a bleach-based solution.Answer
- EAssign the unlicensed assistive personnel (UAP) to provide infection control education to the client's visiting family members.
- FMaintain the client in a negative-pressure isolation room with the door closed at all times.
Answer
The correct interventions for a client with *Clostridioides difficile* include donning a gown and gloves prior to room entry, placing the client in a private room (or cohorting with another *C. diff* client), and using sporicidal disinfectants like bleach for equipment.
Clients diagnosed with *Clostridioides difficile* require strict contact and enteric precautions. This involves assigning the client to a private room (or cohorting with a client who has the same active infection) and donning an isolation gown and nonsterile gloves before entering the room. Furthermore, because *C. diff* produces highly resilient spores, standard cleaning protocols are inadequate; specialized sporicidal agents, such as bleach-based solutions, must be utilized for disinfecting dedicated medical equipment and environmental surfaces.
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Key Concept
Contact and Enteric Precautions for Spore-Forming Pathogens