Testing only appropriate patient specimens for Clostridium difficile, a hospital acquired infection, can have a dramatic impact on an institution/hospital's C. difficile rates. Sending the right samples to the lab for testing are a challenge to health care professionals.

Our goal was to develop a visual that would provide the information needed for a health care professional to make an informed decision about the correct stool sample to be tested for Clostridium difficile infection. The “Treat the patient not the poo” poster was developed to very clearly illustrate what type of symptoms should be present in order to determine if testing is necessary.

The “Treat the patient not the poo” poster turned out to be extremely timely and directly addressed an immediate need for many healthcare workers. It was overwhelmingly successful and It expanded to the point where health care professionals were asking us for information about this particular topic. As a result, the program was expanded into a campaign that included providing published articles, producing webinars and creating a microsite to provide additional materials.