Table 2. CDI Prevention Process and Outcome Measures
Process Measures
a
Compliance with hand hygiene guidelines.
(If hand hygiene with soap and water is
the preferred method of hand hygiene
when caring for patients with CDI, also
assess proper hand washing technique
with the same formula.)
(No. of observed proper hand hygiene
episodes performed by healthcare personnel
(HCP) ÷ total no. of observed opportunities
for hand hygiene) × 100 = % compliance
with hand hygiene compliance
Compliance with contact precautions (No. of observed patient care episodes in
which contact precautions are appropriately
implemented ÷ the no. of observed patient
care episodes in which contact precautions
are indicated) × 100 = % compliance with
contact precautions
Compliance with environmental cleaning
and disinfection
One specific measure of compliance for use
in all hospitals cannot be recommended.
However, many hospitals use checklists,
environmental rounds, fluorescent markers,
and/or ATP bioluminescence to assess
the cleaning and disinfection process
and cleanliness of equipment and the
environment (see Table 3: Essential practices).
Outcome Measures
b
• Calculate CDI rates.
• See Table 1 for case definitions.
(No. of CDI cases in the population being monitored ÷ total number of patient days in
the population being monitored) × 10,000 = No. of CDI cases per 10,000 patient days.
a
Ongoing measurement of recommended CDI prevention practices to permit risk assessment of CDI.
b
Ongoing measurement of incidence density of CDI for longitudinal assessment of outcomes related
to the processes of care.
