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?
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.
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.
I would inform them ASAP as everyone in the place is at risk.
You said your patient has reoccurring bouts of C-diff? My loved one had this same problem after catching it in a hospital after surgery several years ago. He had it over & over again, more like a chronic condition. They'd put him on the antibiotic, and usually a probiotic. Once his symptoms subsided, they'd take him off all the meds. He didn't stop having episodes of C-diff until he stayed on the probiotic (his was florastor) after the infection was gone. He's been on the florastor for almost a year without any further occurrences of C-diff. You might want to try leaving your client on the probiotic full-time. Best of luck to you and your patient!
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?
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.
I pray you read this then go make a 6 month long wrong, right. Please do this before someone dies.
This is Independent Living, right? If so, residents should have an anticipation of total privacy but within whatever terms of the contract of the IL. If the signed by the resident contract requires management to be informed of a communicable disease, then the resident or their dpoa needs to let them know. It’s not your position to tell management or other residents.
I’d imagine as it’s an IL, They have their own apt, efficiency or mini townhome, so it’s all separate living from others. They are not sharing a room or bathroom. If they don’t want to interact with their neighbors or go to the daily communal meal or shopping trips, arts & crafts activities, etc. they don’t have to. If this is what’s happening, their self segregating, so risk of their chronic C. diff spreading is low. Hopefully their doing this. But whatever the case, I’d suggest that you in writing express your concerns as a caregiver to the dPOA as to the Universal Precaution standards (like G’ma1954 wrote) required for C Deff.
How you do the letter depends on how you are hired. If your with an agency, they will have a reporting system, which you need to follow. Most agencies have taken a new look at all this now due to flu outbreak 😷 😷. But if your an independent contractor, well I’d be concerned that if the c Deff spreads your going to be blamed for enabling spread and will loose your other clients. You’d be toast on getting new clients too.
Jjariz is spot on about concerns for liability. Can you resign C Deff client?
If you're asking, it's because you know you have to. Good Golly, isn't it highly contagious? I'd worry about contracting it myself.
Lord have mercy - go tell the desk 'yesterday'.
Tell them immediately. She probably contracted it from there to begin with. Only when everyone is on board can they take the precautions needed to contain it.
From the common sense perspective: how would anyone here feel about their mother or father contracting C dif in their independent living because one resident didn't want that info out...? Some things fall under "protecting the common good." I don't know the particular legal language, but I would be astonished if this type of incident would fall under some HIPAA protection.
This can endanger other residents, actually potentially lead to deaths of other residents. That can't be protected, can it...?
In all institutions where the spread of infection among immuno-compromised or otherwise vulnerable people is a critical problem the answer is good infection control, and that in turn benefits from good reporting structures. But if individuals can't rely on their medical records being confidential they will go to considerable lengths to conceal symptoms and that becomes incredibly problematic. This here ALF should have clear Standard Operating Procedures so that all care and nursing staff know what to do in a given situation, but since they haven't, or anyway haven't told this independent caregiver what they are, she'd better run and find out.
I would see it as their responsibility to inform management. It would seem to be a legal obligation so that to other residents plus staff can be protected. Tell them they could face legal action if others are affected because of this infection.
How does the family know about this infection? Who diagnosed it? does the family not want Mom to be not isolated or are they afraid she will be asked to leave if she has a communical disease?
I don't know if this is a notifiable disease but will do a search and come back if it is..