The healthcare burden of hospital-acquired Clostridium difficile infections demands a solution, so researchers have conducted a study to identify a clinical rule to help identify patients at the highest risk of developing C. diff, and published their findings in the journal Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology.
The study was conducted at a large tertiary healthcare center for one year in 2013. It included more than 61,000 patients age 18 or older.
To come up with a clinical prediction rule for C. diff, the authors of the study collected patient data on demographic characteristics, evidence of infection and other risk factors. They found infections were significantly associated with age, admission in the past 60 days, mechanical ventilation, dialysis, history of congestive heart failure and use of antibiotic medications.
The clinical prediction rule demonstrated a sensitivity rate of 82 percent and a specificity rate of 75.7 percent.
"This study successfully derived a clinical prediction rule that will help identify patients at high risk for primary CDI," concluded the study. "This tool will allow physicians to systematically recognize those at risk for CDI and will allow for early interventional strategies."