A client with watery diarrhea tests positive for Clostridioides difficile. Which infection control action is most appropriate?
1Place the client on contact precautions and wash hands with soap and water after care.✓ Correct answer
2Assign the client to a semiprivate room with an influenza patient on droplet precautions.
3Perform hand hygiene using alcohol-based sanitizer after glove removal during care.
4Discontinue cleaning shared equipment after use since gloves were worn during care.
Explanation
C. difficile requires contact precautions and meticulous environmental cleaning; soap and water is preferred after care because spores are difficult to remove with alcohol alone. Cohorting with a client with another infection or skipping equipment cleaning increases transmission risk.
Clinical Judgment Use the client cues, timing, labs, and safety risks to select the response that best fits C difficile precautions.
Memory Tip Match the strongest cue cluster to the safest nursing judgment.
KR vs US NCLEX items reward cue-based priority thinking rather than isolated recall.
Clinical Practice GuideFor C difficile precautions, compare the complete cue pattern with the client's current stability, ordered data, and expected nursing scope.
CautionDo not choose an action from one isolated cue when the full scenario changes priority or safety.
Clostridioides difficile — A spore-forming organism that can cause infectious diarrhea.
Contact Precautions — Transmission-based precautions for organisms spread by direct or indirect contact.
Hand Hygiene — Cleaning hands to reduce transmission of microorganisms.