C. difficile precautions to prevent transmission are best described as which of the following?

• A. Airborne precautions
• B. Contact precautions
• C. Droplet precautions
• D. Standard precautions

Answer: (C)

C. difficile spreads mainly through spores on contaminated surfaces and via hands that have touched those surfaces. Because transmission occurs by contact, the preventive approach centers on contact precautions—gloves and gowns when caring for the patient, dedicated or disposable patient-care items, and rigorous hand hygiene with soap and water (since alcohol-based sanitizers are less effective against spores). Environmental cleaning with sporicidal agents is also key. Airborne and droplet precautions target different transmission routes (airborne particles or respiratory droplets) and are not the primary methods to prevent C. difficile spread. Standard precautions remain the baseline for all patients, with contact precautions added for C. difficile.