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Reductions in positive Clostridioides difficile events reportable to National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) with adoption of reflex enzyme immunoassay (EIA) testing in 13 Atlanta hospitals

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 July 2021

Dana Goodenough*
Affiliation:
Foundation for Atlanta Veterans’ Education and Research, Decatur, Georgia Atlanta Veterans’ Affairs Medical Center, Decatur, Georgia Georgia Emerging Infections Program, Atlanta, Georgia
Samantha Sefton
Affiliation:
Foundation for Atlanta Veterans’ Education and Research, Decatur, Georgia Atlanta Veterans’ Affairs Medical Center, Decatur, Georgia Georgia Emerging Infections Program, Atlanta, Georgia
Elizabeth Overton
Affiliation:
Office of Quality, Emory Healthcare, Atlanta, Georgia
Elizabeth Smith
Affiliation:
Georgia Department of Public Health, Atlanta, Georgia
Colleen S. Kraft
Affiliation:
Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia
Jay B. Varkey
Affiliation:
Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia
Scott K. Fridkin
Affiliation:
Georgia Emerging Infections Program, Atlanta, Georgia Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia
*
Author for correspondence: Dana Goodenough, E-mail: dgoodenough@gaeip.org

Abstract

In total, 13 facilities changed C. difficile testing to reflexive testing by enzyme immunoassay (EIA) only after a positive nucleic acid-amplification test (NAAT); the standardized infection ratio (SIR) decreased by 46% (range, −12% to −71% per hospital). Changing testing practice greatly influenced a performance metric without changing C. difficile infection prevention practice.

Type
Concise Communication
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America

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Footnotes

PREVIOUS PRESENTATION. These data were previously accepted as an oral presentation by the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America at the 6th Decennial International Conference on Healthcare Associated Infections on March 26–30, 2020, in Atlanta, Georgia (held virtually).

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