As we've reported here before, Clostridium difficile infections are a growing threat in healthcare facilities. Now, a study published in this month's American Journal of Infection Control, suggests that the problem may be even worse than previously thought.
The study, which involved a survey conducted by the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC), concluded that 13 of 1,000 inpatients were either infected or colonized with the C. difficile bug. That rate is 6.5 to 20 times greater than had been previously estimated, APIC reported.
Given this rate, there are at least 7,178 inpatients with C. difficile in American facilities, with an associated cost of $17.7 to $51.5 million, APIC estimates. And the problem is stubborn: 82 percent of APIC respondents said that the rate of C. difficile infections hadn't decreased over the past three years.
For more information:
- read this APIC press release
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