Current practices to reduce the risk of transmission of Clostridioides difficile in France: results of a national survey.
Clostridioides difficile is a major cause of healthcare-associated infections. In healthcare settings, interventions like contact precautions (CP), hand hygiene with soap and water, sporicidal environmental cleaning, and antimicrobial stewardship, are essential to reducing the risk C. difficile transmission. This study aimed to evaluate infection prevention and control (IPC) measures targeting C. difficile infection (CDI) in French hospitals. An anonymous online survey was conducted from August to December 2022. The assessed CDI-related IPC practices. Descriptive analysis was performed using IBM SPSS. A total of 350 professionals from all French regions completed the survey; 70.3% were members of an infection control team members. CP for symptomatic patients were implemented by 70%, and continued ≥48h after diarrhea resolution of by 49%; 4.9% continued CP until discharge. Gloves, gowns, and aprons were worn before room entry by 62%, 55% and 21% respectively. Hand hygiene with soap and water followed by alcohol-based hand rubs was reported by 85%. Daily surface cleaning of rooms, toilets and floors was reported by 98%, 96%, and 87% respectively. Cleaning was performed using sporicidal products (71%), chlorine-containing agents (23%), or non-sporicidal agents (5%). While key IPC measures are widely acknowledged, their implementation varies. Broader studies are needed to evaluate their effectiveness and address inconsistencies.
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