Title
Clostridioides difficile Prevention in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU)
Authoring Organization
Publication Month/Year
August 29, 2018
Last Updated Month/Year
October 17, 2024
Document Type
Consensus
External Publication Status
Published
Country of Publication
US
Document Objectives
The SHEA intends this document to serve as a companion to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee (HICPAC) “Clostridioides difficile in Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Patients: A Systematic Review,” to provide practical, expert opinion-based answers to frequently asked questions on C. difficile detection and prevention in the NICU. These questions are not adequately addressed in the published literature to meet Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) standards and therefore were not included in the HICPAC systematic review.
Target Patient Population
Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Patients
PICO Questions
When should clinicians test a NICU patient for Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI)?
Before or concurrent with C. difficile testing, which gastrointestinal pathogens should clinicians test for in a NICU patient who develops diarrhea?
What are the best methods for testing for CDI in NICU patients?
What is the preferred hand hygiene agent when caring for NICU patients who test positive for C. difficile?
What is the appropriate type and duration of isolation for an infant with a positive C. difficile test?
What is the appropriate cleaning and disinfection strategy for C. difficile in the NICU?
What is the role for antimicrobial stewardship in the prevention of C. difficile infection in infants?
Inclusion Criteria
Male, Female, Infant
Health Care Settings
Emergency care, Hospital
Intended Users
Epidemiology infection prevention, nurse, nurse practitioner, physician, physician assistant
Scope
Management, Prevention
Diseases/Conditions (MeSH)
D007363 - Intensive Care Units, Neonatal, D015931 - Intensive Care, Neonatal, D016360 - Clostridium difficile
Keywords
infection prevention, C diff, Clostridioides difficile, Cdiff, Clostridioides difficile Infections, NICU, neonatal intensive care unit
Source Citation
Sandora TJ, Bryant KK, Cantey JB, Elward AM, Yokoe DS, Bartlett AH. SHEA neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) white paper series: Practical approaches to Clostridioides difficile prevention. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol. 2018 Oct;39(10):1149-1153. doi: 10.1017/ice.2018.209. Epub 2018 Aug 30. PMID: 30160646.