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Implementation of a diagnostic stewardship initiative for healthcare facility-onset Clostridioides difficile infection

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 November 2025

Caitlin Bettger*
Affiliation:
Infectious Disease Service, Department of Medicine, Brooke Army Medical Center, Houston, TX, USA
Bernadette Thompson
Affiliation:
Infection Prevention and Control, Department of Quality and Safety, Brooke Army Medical Center, Houston, TX, USA
John Kiley
Affiliation:
Infectious Disease Service, Department of Medicine, Brooke Army Medical Center, Houston, TX, USA Infection Prevention and Control, Department of Quality and Safety, Brooke Army Medical Center, Houston, TX, USA
Lisa Townsend
Affiliation:
Infectious Disease Service, Department of Medicine, Tripler Army Medical Center, Honolulu, HI, USA
*
Corresponding author: Caitlin Bettger; Email: caitlin.c.bettger.mil@health.mil

Abstract

We aimed to improve diagnostic accuracy for healthcare facility-onset Clostridioides difficile (HO-CDI) infection by removing the result for C. difficile from the multiplex gastrointestinal polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The intervention resulted in an increase in positive PCR tests meeting testing criteria and decrease in median number of HO-CDI per month.

Information

Type
Original Article
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America

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