Implementing a comprehensive set of infection control measures can cut the incidence of Clostridium difficile significantly, according to a study presented at the American College of Gastroenterology’s annual meeting.
Integris Baptist Medical Center in Oklahoma City was able to cut its C. diff rate by 40%, from 11.3 per 10,000 admissions to 6.9, in three months after forming a multidisciplinary “war on C. diff” committee to devise and implement infection prevention measures.
The infection occurs nearly 500,000 times annually in hospitals and nursing homes. The national C. diff rate is 13 per 10,000 admissions, and about 30,000 people die each year of the disease in health care facilities, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Read the whole shebang.