Using expert process to combat Clostridium difficile infections

Isabelle Guerreiro; Camille Achonu; Grace Volkening; Sam MacFarlane; Liz McCreight; Cathy Egan; Jennifer Robertson; Gary Garber

doi:10.1016/j.ajic.2016.03.066

Using expert process to combat Clostridium difficile infections

Am J Infect Control. 2016 Dec 1;44(12):1451-1453. doi: 10.1016/j.ajic.2016.03.066. Epub 2016 Jul 19.

Authors

Isabelle Guerreiro¹, Camille Achonu², Grace Volkening², Sam MacFarlane², Liz McCreight³, Cathy Egan⁴, Jennifer Robertson², Gary Garber⁵

Affiliations

¹ Public Health Ontario, Toronto, ON, Canada. Electronic address: isabelle.guerreiro@oahpp.ca.
² Public Health Ontario, Toronto, ON, Canada.
³ Sinai Health System, Toronto, ON, Canada.
⁴ Conestoga College, Kitchener, ON, Canada.
⁵ Public Health Ontario, Toronto, ON, Canada; Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada; Department of Medicine, University of Ottawa & The Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Toronto, ON, Canada.

PMID: 27451312
DOI: 10.1016/j.ajic.2016.03.066

Abstract

In 2008, Clostridium difficile rates were increasing in Ontario, Canada, and in response, hospitals were mandated by the Ontario Ministry of Health to publicly report their C difficile infection (CDI) rates. In order to assist hospitals which had ongoing CDI outbreaks, a process of an external infection control resource team (ICRT) was introduced. This article describes the function and process of the ICRT, managed by Public Health Ontario, and reviews the lessons learned over the first 5 years of operation. These lessons may assist other hospitals in managing their own infection prevention and control outbreak.

Keywords: CDI; Clostridium difficile infections; ICRT; infection control resource team.

MeSH terms

Clostridioides difficile / isolation & purification*
Clostridium Infections / epidemiology*
Clostridium Infections / microbiology
Clostridium Infections / prevention & control*
Cross Infection / epidemiology*
Cross Infection / microbiology
Cross Infection / prevention & control*
Disease Outbreaks*
Humans
Infection Control / methods
Infection Control / organization & administration*
Ontario / epidemiology