Hospital intestinal infections 20 times higher than previously believed

A national survey of hospitals has found that the rate of life-threatening intestinal infection Clostridium difficile (C. diff) is 20 times greater than previously thought (“C. diff rate in hospitals 20 times greater than previously thought,” Cleveland Plain Dealer, Nov. 13, 2008).

The Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology study found that 13 out of every 1,000 inpatients were either infected or colonized with C. diff, or an estimated 7,178 patient in U.S. on any given day.

“A variety of factors are coalescing to potentially cause an increase in CDI,” according to the report. “This includes the aging of the U.S. population, the widespread use of broad-spectrum antimicrobials, inadequate healthcare environmental cleaning, and inadequate CDI infection control measures (e.g., delayed diagnosis, delayed isolation precautions, poor hand hygiene or environmental cleaning).”