Study: Hospitals aren't taking right steps to prevent C. diff

A recently released study finds that hospitals aren’t doing all they can to prevent deadly Clostridium difficile (C. diff) infections, according to Infection Control Today. Published online in Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology, the study examined 398 hospitals and found that 48% haven’t adopted strict limits on antibiotic use.

Hospital patients become more prone to developing C. diff infections after taking antibiotics that disrupt digestive system bacteria. Nearly all the hospitals examined by researchers from the University of Michigan Medical School and VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System had enacted measures to monitor for C. diff, but many don’t have antibiotic stewardship programs in place or policies to test patients who develop diarrhea while taking antibiotics.

Read the Infection Control Today article.