Dataset Information

Risk for Clostridioides difficile Infection Among Hospitalized Patients Associated With Multiple Healthcare Exposures Prior to Admission.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) is a common healthcare-associated infection and is often used as an indicator of hospital safety or quality. However, healthcare exposures occurring prior to hospitalization may increase risk for CDI. We conducted a case-control study comparing hospitalized patients with and without CDI to determine if healthcare exposures prior to hospitalization (ie, clinic visits, antibiotics, family members with CDI) were associated with increased risk for hospital-onset CDI, and how risk varied with time between exposure and hospitalization.

Methods

Records were collected from a large insurance-claims database from 2001 to 2017 for hospitalized adult patients. Prior healthcare exposures were identified using inpatient, outpatient, emergency department, and prescription drug claims; results were compared between various CDI case definitions.

Results

Hospitalized patients with CDI had significantly more frequent healthcare exposures prior to admission. Healthcare visits, antibiotic use, and family exposures were associated with greater likelihood of CDI during hospitalization. The degree of association diminished with time between exposure and hospitalization. Results were consistent across CDI case definitions.

Conclusions

Many different prior healthcare exposures appear to increase risk for CDI presenting during hospitalization. Moreover, patients with CDI typically have multiple exposures prior to admission, confounding the ability to attribute cases to a particular stay.

SUBMITTER: Miller AC

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8366437 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Similar Datasets

Project description:BackgroundClostridioides difficile Infection (CDI) is a persistent healthcare issue. In the US, CDI is the most common infectious cause of hospital-onset (HO) diarrhea.ObjectiveAssess the impact of admission testing for toxigenic C. difficile colonization on the incidence of HO-CDI.DesignPragmatic stepped-wedge Infection Control initiative.SettingNorthShore University HealthSystem is a four-hospital system near Chicago, IL.PatientsAll patients admitted to the four hospitals during the initiative.InterventionsFrom September 2017 through August 2018 we conducted a quality improvement program where admitted patients had a peri-rectal swab tested for toxigenic C. difficile. All colonized patients were placed into contact precautions.MeasurementsWe tested admissions who: i) had been hospitalized within two months, ii) had a past C. difficile positive test, and/or iii) were in a long-term care facility within six months. We measured compliance with all other practices to reduce the incidence of HO-CDI.Results30% of admissions were tested and 8.3% were positive. In the year prior to the initiative (Period 1) there were 63,057 admitted patients when HO-CDI incidence was 5.96 cases/10,000 patient days. During the 12-month initiative (Period 2) there were 62,760 admissions and the HO-CDI incidence was 4.23 cases/10,000 patient days (p = 0.02). There were no other practice or antibiotic use changes. Continuing admission surveillance provided a HO-CDI incidence of 2.9 cases/10,000 patient days during the final 9 months of 2018 (p<0.0001 compared to Period 1), equaling <1 case/1,000 admissions.LimitationsThis was not a randomized controlled trial, and multiple prevention practices were in place at the time of the admission surveillance initiative.ConclusionAdmission C. difficile surveillance testing is an important tool for preventing hospital-onset C. difficile infection.RegistrationThis quality improvement initiative is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov. The unique registration identifier number is NCT04014608.