Hospitals in pursuit of excellence

Driving Down C.diff Infections

The Problem

Clostridium difficile (C. diff) is one of the most dangerous antibiotic-resistant bacterium, with a newer and more virulent strain causing epidemics in the United States and other countries. On any given day, 7,178 patients in U.S. hospitals battle C. diff infections, according to APIC. With a total of 350 to 400 cases each year in the early 2000s, SJHW and SJHC were seeing much higher rates of C.diff overall and nosocomial C. diff infections than other hospitals in the SSM system. The two hospitals' mortality rate for C. diff infections was 10 to 15 percent.

The Solution

The St. Joseph hospitals embarked on a rigorous overhaul of their cleaning and care procedures to reduce the rate of C. diff infections by 50 percent. After researching best practices for C. diff reduction, the team spearheading the effort committed to some changes that exceeded the best-practice guidelines available at the time.