Over the past 6 months, 1 client has recurring bouts of C Diff. The family wishes to keep this quiet and not let anyone there know about their Mother's condition. Is there a moral responsibility to notify the facility management in order to protect the other residents?
As I remember, C Diff is not killed by alcohol hand gel. You HAVE to wash with soap and water.
If no other nurses or aides know, are they using the gel thinking everything is OK?
If it was YOUR mother in the next bed would you want to know?
Report it.
Moral, legal, whatever, the facility management should absolutely know this. Why don't they already? Pretty serious thing to be dealing with--special hygiene precautions should be in place.
I would inform them ASAP as everyone in the place is at risk.
It may also depend upon who you are being paid by. Is it the family or the facility? This would determine who your employer is.
You can however place a cart by the door and require everyone that enters the room to put on a gown, a mask and and gloves. (I bet they would get the idea)
You also need to follow Universal Precautions entering this room then going into the other rooms.
Meanwhile, since this has been going on for six months and your other two clients are fine, your infection control procedures are evidently iron-clad. Well done. Trouble is, what if other people's aren't?
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