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Course Name

Clinical Improvement Project II CAPSTONE

Graduation Year

8-2026

Faculty Advisor

Dr. John Bressan

Abstract

Healthcare-associated Clostridioides difficile (C. diff) infections increase patient morbidity, length of stay, and healthcare costs (Simor, 2010). Our quality improvement project seeks to reduce C. diff infection rates and enhance prevention practices on the Med-Acute Unit at Sutter Medical Center Sacramento (SMCS) by utilizing the Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) framework. Interventions will be implemented between March 2026 and July 2026. The project examined whether introducing a standardized stool collection tote and improving hand hygiene compliance would reduce C. diff infection rates. Participants included all nursing staff on the unit. Data is being collected through observational hand hygiene audits, collaboration with the SMCS Infection Prevention Team to track hospital-associated C. diff infections, and pre- and -post intervention staff surveys. Findings currently indicate that an intervention bundle may improve infection prevention practices by improving workflow efficiency and supporting reductions in hospital-acquired C. diff infections. Future work should focus on sustaining the intervention and expanding it to other units.

Keywords

Infection prevention, Nursing practice, quality improvement, Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA), Healthcare-associated Clostridioides difficile, C. diff, Hand Hygiene

Improving Clostridioides difficile Prevention Practices Through Standardized Stool Collection and Hand Hygiene

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