Electronic laboratory data can be used to track disease rates of Clostridium difficile infection, according to a study published in Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology.
For this study, researchers studied 34 hospitals that sent inpatient, emergency department and/or outpatient data to BioSense, a national automated surveillance system. Data was sent between Jan. 1, 2007 and June 30, 2008. Patients were classified as having either hospital-onset CDI or community-onset CDI. Results showed more than half of the cases were community-onset, with 30.8 percent of these cases occurring in patients who were recently hospitalized. The rate of healthcare-onset CDI was 7.8 cases per 10,000 patient days.
Read the study about C. difficile rates.
Read other coverage about C. difficile:
- 10 Recent Studies on Infection Control and Prevention
- Study Suggests UV Lighting in Patient Rooms Can Reduce Number of Pathogens
- Study Finds Gloves, Antimicrobial Stewardship Vital to Prevention of C. Difficile Infection
For this study, researchers studied 34 hospitals that sent inpatient, emergency department and/or outpatient data to BioSense, a national automated surveillance system. Data was sent between Jan. 1, 2007 and June 30, 2008. Patients were classified as having either hospital-onset CDI or community-onset CDI. Results showed more than half of the cases were community-onset, with 30.8 percent of these cases occurring in patients who were recently hospitalized. The rate of healthcare-onset CDI was 7.8 cases per 10,000 patient days.
Read the study about C. difficile rates.
Read other coverage about C. difficile:
- 10 Recent Studies on Infection Control and Prevention
- Study Suggests UV Lighting in Patient Rooms Can Reduce Number of Pathogens
- Study Finds Gloves, Antimicrobial Stewardship Vital to Prevention of C. Difficile Infection