Category Archives: Prevention

C. diff. Infection (CDI) Prevention Is A Multidisciplinary Effort In All Settings

HandsaroundworldPreventing a C. diff. infection (CDI) is a multidisciplinary effort in every setting.

It requires everyone, from physicians to nurses, pharmacy to the microbiology laboratory, housekeeping to hospital leadership, family members, patients, visitors, and especially infection prevention and control staff, to do their part.

Let us not dismiss the importance of hand hygiene (hand-washing) or environmental disinfection in all settings…..from healthcare facilities to outpatient clinics to physician offices to the home.

Soap and water should always be used preferentially over alcohol-based hand rubs if the hands become grossly contaminated or if gloves were not worn.

http://cdifffoundation.org/category/infection-control/

Enhanced cleaning of the environment with sporicidal methods is clearly indicated if your facility has issues with CDI cases occurring repeatedly in the same room. Before changing the approach to cleaning the environment, it is important to make sure that the environment is being cleaned in the first place—the sporicidal agent will not have the opportunity to work if it is never applied.

http://cdifffoundation.org/category/epa-registered-c-diff-kill-cleaning-products-environmental-safety/

For Home Care Information: http://cdifffoundation.org/category/home-care/

Existing data indicate that the most effective methods to prevent CDI in hospitals are:

Improving antimicrobial (antibiotic) prescribing; Promptly identifying patients with CDI and place them on contact precautions, and Making sure that healthcare workers are compliant with contact precautions, including gowns, gloves, use of dedicated equipment whenever possible, and ensuring that non-dedicated equipment is adequately cleaned between patients.

http://cdifffoundation.org/category/antibiotic-news/

 

 

 

Sources:Medscape, CDC

C. diff. Infection Support and Information Available

cdiffphasehere

Do you have questions about a C. diff. infection?

Call 1-844-FOR-CDIF (367-2343)

And speak with a information specialist for assistance regarding C. diff. infection prevention, treatments, and environmental safety products available.

 

 

* Disclaimer: Please do not cease in seeking medical treatment and medical care if any C. diff. symptoms are noticed or continue. Please see your Primary Care Physician or go to the nearest Clinic/ER for medical treatment. The C Diff Foundation does not provide assessments or diagnosis and is not liable for decisions made solely based from the information provided here or through the hotline or archived on the website. The foundation does not provide ancillary assistance with travel, or lodging. Information shared is for educational use only and to raise C. diff. awareness in prevention, treatments, and environmental safety worldwide. Thank you

 

Hand-washing (aka hand-hygiene) Helps Stop The Spread Of Germs

HAVE YOU TAKEN A 20 - 30 SECOND HAND-WASHING BREAK?

Correct hand-washing technique keeps you and others safe:

 

  • Wet your hands with clean, running water (warm or cold), turn off the tap, and apply soap.
  • Lather your hands by rubbing them together with the soap. Be sure to lather the backs of your hands, between your fingers, and under your nails.
  • Scrub your hands for at least 20 seconds. Need a timer? Hum the “Happy Birthday” song from beginning to end twice.
  • Rinse your hands well under clean, running water.
  • Dry your hands using a clean towel or air dry them

WHEN TO WASH YOUR HANDS:

  • Before, during, and after preparing food
  • Before eating food
  • Before and after patient care in any setting
  • Before and after treating a cut or wound
  • After using the toilet and before exiting the restroom
  • After changing diapers or cleaning up a child who has used the toilet
  • After blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing
  • After touching an animal, animal feed, or animal waste
  • After handling pet food or pet treats
  • After touching garbage
  • After visiting an outpatient setting (Physicians office/Dentist office/Clinic)
  • After shopping
  • Before and after handling food
  • After traveling on public transportation
  • Any any time hands are soiled

 

What is the difference?
Hand hygiene . A general term that applies to either
handwashing, antiseptic handwash, antiseptic hand rub, or
surgical hand antisepsis.
Handwashing . Washing hands with plain (i.e., non-antimi-
crobial) soap and water.
Guideline for Hand Hygiene in Health-Care Settings
Recommendations of the Healthcare Infection Control Practices
Advisory Committee and the HICPAC/SHEA/APIC/IDSA
Hand Hygiene Task Force
Vol. 51 / RR-16
Activity of Antiseptic Agents Against
Spore-Forming Bacteria
The widespread prevalence of health-care–associated diarrhea caused by Clostridium difficile and the recent occurrence
in the United States of human Bacillus anthracis infections associated with contaminated items sent through the postal
system has raised concern regarding the activity of antiseptic
agents against spore-forming bacteria. None of the agents
(including alcohols, chlorhexidine, hexachlorophene,
iodophors, PCMX, and triclosan) used in antiseptic handwash
or antiseptic hand-rub preparations are reliably sporicidal
against Clostridium spp. or Bacillus spp. (120,172,224,225).
Washing hands with non-antimicrobial or antimicrobial soap
and water may help to physically remove spores from the sur-
face of contaminated hands. HCWs should be encouraged
to wear gloves when caring for patients with
C. difficile - associated diarrhea (226). After gloves are removed, hands
should be washed with a non-antimicrobial or an antimicro-
bial soap and water or disinfected with an alcohol-based hand
rub. During outbreaks of C. difficile-related infections, washing hands with a non-antimicrobial or antimicrobial soap and
water after removing gloves is prudent. HCWs with suspected
or documented exposure to B. anthracis-contaminated items also should be encouraged to wash their hands with a non-antimicrobial or antimicrobial soap and water
cdiffhandwashingbreakposter

C. difficile Infection - Jvion, Leader In Clinical Predictive Algorithms, Predict and Prevent Patients at Risk

Laptop

Jvion is a healthcare technology company that develops software designed to predict and prevent patient-level disease and financial losses leading to increased waste.

Jvion, the Atlanta-based leader in clinical predictive algorithms, announced the release of a Clostridium Difficile (C Diff) predictive use case for inpatient and outpatient providers. The C Diff use case is the latest in a broad compliment of predictive capabilities that span hospital acquired infections, chronic conditions, and individual illnesses. Using the firm’s RevEgis patient phenotype platform, the C Diff solution flags at risk individuals to help support clinician decision-making and reduce the likelihood of the deadly infection. These predictions can be produced in both inpatient and outpatient settings and can be integrated directly into existing electronic health record management systems.

“C.diff is a serious and deadly problem,” said Todd Schlesinger, VP for Jvion. “With this use case, we’ve extended the award-winning predictive capabilities already delivered through RevEgis to address a very pressing and lethal challenge facing all healthcare settings.”

A new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows that C Diff infected nearly half a million Americans. Of those infected, 15,000 died as a result of the bacteria. Anyone taking an antibiotic is at risk of developing a C Diff infection, but older adults over 65 are particularly susceptible. According to the study, people taking antibiotics are 7 to 10 times more likely to get C Diff while on their prescription and in the subsequent 30 days after treatment. The bacteria are spread through unclean surfaces and dirty hands. A recent Ohio-based study found that six out of every seven outpatient settings test positive for C Diff.

Jvion, the leader in clinical predictive algorithms, announced the development of a Clostridium Difficile (C Diff) use case to help clinicians reduce the risk of deadly infections inside and outside the hospital.

Todd went on the say that, “our goal is to help clinicians reduce the occurrence of C Diff infections while also lowering mortality rates attributed to the bacteria. We designed our solution so that it fits seamlessly into the clinical workflow and provides the additional insights that help support physicians and reduce the risk of C Diff incidences.”

RevEgis has won numerous awards including: designation as Gartner Cool Vendor for Healthcare Providers; the 2014 Intel Innovation Award; top honors from Fierce Health IT in the “Data Analytics” category, and as an overall award of “Best in Show: Fiercest Cost-Saving Solution.” These awards recognize RevEgis’s impact on the reduction of various diseases and health concerns. To learn more about Jvion, their full suite of Big Data predictive analytic solutions, and how they can help clinicians reduce C Diff infections please visit http://www.jvion.com

About Jvion
Jvion is a healthcare technology company that develops software designed to predict and prevent patient-level disease and financial losses leading to increased waste. The company offers a suite of big-data enabled solutions that combine clinical intelligence with deep machine learning to help providers protect their revenues while improving patient health outcomes. Their objective is simple—stop the waste of resources and lives by predicting and stopping losses before they ever happen.

 

To read the article in its entirety click on the link below:

 

www.prweb.com/releases/JvionStops/CDiff/prweb12562136.htm

“Raising C. difficile Awareness Week” is coming: Are you prepared?

cdiffNovribbonlove
Rosie D. Lyles, MD, MHA

Rosie D. Lyles, MD, MHA

Clinical Affairs Head at The Clorox Company

Member of the C Diff Foundation Research and Development Committee

“Raising C. difficile Awareness Week” is coming: Are you prepared?

As many people in the healthcare and infectious disease industry are aware, Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) infections remain a significant problem in the United States. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that about 250,000 C. difficile infections occur per year that require hospital treatment or affect those already hospitalized. On top of that, each year an estimated 14,000 people die from C. difficile infection.

The severity of this problem is one reason why I am proud to join the C Diff Foundation’s Research and Development Committee and Research Community. The C Diff Foundation works to provide support for those affected by C. difficile, raises awareness about the problem and works to help healthcare facilities and patients implement preventative measures.

Please join me and the C Diff Foundation in celebrating “Raising C. difficile Awareness Week” starting Nov. 1 to spread the word about C. difficile prevention, treatment and environmental safety.

C. difficile infections are preventable, so healthcare facilities need to focus on the following strategies (adapted from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) to help protect their patients, staff and visitors from infection:

C. difficile Prevention Tips:

  1. Antibiotic Stewardship – Prescribe and use antibiotics carefully. Unnecessary use can raise infection risks.
  2. Test – If a patient has diarrhea while on antibiotics or after taking them, order a C. difficile test right away to confirm whether he/she is infected.
  3. Isolation Precautions – Immediately isolate patients with confirmed cases of C. difficile or who are exhibiting symptoms (e.g., diarrhea).
  4. Personal Protective Equipment – Always perform hand hygiene with soap and water before and after contact with infected individuals. Wear gloves and gowns when treating C. difficile patients and ensure that staff uses them properly to avoid cross-contamination risks.
  5. Environmental Decontamination – Clean the facility, especially rooms of patients with C. difficile, with bleach or another EPA-registered spore-killing disinfectant. Make sure you follow manufacturers’ instructions for dilution and contact time, the length of time the surface needs to remain wet for the product to work. Also consider supplementing standard terminal cleaning with an ultraviolet (UV-C) system.
  6. Alert – If a patient with C. difficile transfers, notify the new facility of their condition so they can take the proper precautionary measures.

To download a free infographic poster on preventing C. difficile facility wide, visit: http://www.cloroxprofessional.com/industry/health/knowledge-expertise/cdiffinfographic/

I hope to see you Nov. 4 at the “Raising C. difficile Awareness” conference at the University of Illinois at Chicago! Visit the C Diff Foundation website for more information.

Synthetic Biologics, Inc. Is Issued a Notice of Allowance for a Composition of Matter Patent Application covering SYN-004, Leading Product in its C. difficile Program

* In the news *

Synthetic Biologics, Inc., a biotechnology company developing novel pathogen-specific therapies for serious infections and diseases, announced that as of October 22, 2014 the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has issued a Notice of Allowance for a composition of matter patent application that covers the lead product in its C. difficile program, SYN-004. This is Synthetic Biologics’ first allowed patent application directly pertaining to SYN-004 in the U.S. and adds to the Company’s extensive C. difficile patent estate.

Synthetic Biologics, Inc. Logo

SYN-004 is Synthetic Biologics’ novel oral enzyme drug candidate designed as the first and only prophylactic treatment intended to prevent the development of C. difficile infections, by binding with and neutralizing certain intravenous (IV) beta-lactam antibiotics in the gut.

SYN-004 is intended to block the effects of antibiotics within the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, maintaining the natural balance of bacterial flora (the gut microbiome), potentially preventing the 1.1 million C. difficile infections in the U.S. each year. The U.S. patent to be issued has claims to compositions of matter and pharmaceutical compositions of beta-lactamases, including SYN-004, and carries a patent term to at least 2031. In addition to the newly allowed patent, the Company has numerous related granted and pending U.S. and international patent applications that are central to the Synthetic Biologics’ intellectual property estate.

“This new patent will strengthen the protection of Synthetic Biologics’ SYN-004 and reiterates our position as a key player in the prevention of microbiome-based diseases,” said Jeffrey Riley, Chief Executive Officer of Synthetic Biologics. “We continue to bolster the Company’s patent estate while making progress towards our goals to initiate Phase Ia and Ib C. difficile clinical trials this quarter.”

 

Resource: Synthetic Biologics news release.

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