A patient with Clostridioides difficile infection requires infection control. Which action is the most essential single step to prevent transmission?

• A. Place the client on contact precautions in a private room
• B. Clean all equipment that has been in the room with bleach wipes
• C. Wash hands with soap and water after touching anything in the room
• D. Use alcohol-based hand sanitizer after leaving the room

Answer: (C)

C. difficile spreads through hardy spores that contaminate hands and surfaces, so the most effective single step to prevent transmission is washing hands with soap and water after touching anything in the room. Soap and water physically remove and flush spores from the hands, which is essential because alcohol-based hand sanitizers do not reliably kill C. difficile spores. While using contact precautions and disinfecting the environment are important parts of comprehensive infection control, they do not replace the impact of proper handwashing. Hand hygiene with soap and water directly reduces the risk of spreading spores to others and to surfaces.