ABOUT THIS PLAYBOOK
The C. difficile spore cannot be seen but can live up to 5 months on a surface. It is primarily transmitted to patients on the hands of healthcare workers. If we are not diligent in our efforts to prevent transmission we are putting our patients at risk. Preventing the spread of infection is everyone’s responsibility. The implementation of a collaborative team review process for C. difficile infection exposed that testing was being done for the wrong reasons. The IP team then evolved the process to continuously monitor C. difficile infection. This new process resulted in a sizable reduction in infections.
The aim of this Implementation Playbook is to reduce hospital acquired C. difficile infections by spreading this innovation to hospitals across this state, region and beyond.
The Cast of Characters
The storyline behind the Playbook involves these wonderful people, places and organizations
C. diff Algorithm Architect
Dr. Jennings
CMO
HSHS St. Anthony’s Hospital, IL
Innovation Challenge Awardee
Matt Yarnell
Director, Quality
HSHS St. John’s Hospital (Award Site), IL
Spread Partner
Connie Noltemeyer
Director, Quality and Patient Safety
Amita Health Presence Health (Spread Site)
Spread Partner
Laura Marconnet
Infection Preventionist
Amita Health Presence Health (Spread Site)
What Have we Achieved?
Below is a snapshot of some of the statistics that we’ve seen as a result of implementing this playbook:
78%
Reduction in HAIs
$600k
Annual Cost Savings
15
Hospitals implementing intervention
