Clostridium Difficile Teaching Report

The subject of my teaching project is a disease known as clostridium difficile or a disease more commonly known as c diff. The patient who was being taught, was a forty-three-year-old, white male, who had no previous exposure to clostridium difficile. When conducting the teaching, the patient had a couple of teaching points he needed to adopt into his care. When in the hospital, the patient should help with reminding healthcare workers and visitors about the importance of hand washing, and wearing gowns and gloves when in contact with said patient. If the patient was to be sent home, there were a few things to keep in mind. When at home the patient is less contagious when the diarrhea subsides however, the patient should still perform thorough hand hygiene as well as turning of the faucet in the bathroom with a paper towel to prevent spores from collecting on the surface.

The causative agent in clostridium difficile is a spore forming bacteria, which can be “transferred to patients mainly via the hands of healthcare personnel who have touched a contaminated surface or item” (CDC, 2015). Reasons such as these, is why it is important to teach patients about why they are on contact isolation, and why maintaining thorough hand hygiene is essential for stopping the spread of the disease throughout the hospital. Before the teaching took place, the patient was asked if any previous knowledge was held about the topic of clostridium difficile. The patient claimed no one had explained any part of the disease process or what changes needed to be made on the patient’s end of care. The patient had never had any exposure to this disease, however, the patient seemed rather eager, and was pleased that time was being taken to teach about the importance of containing clostridium