Arlington, Va., May 12, 2022 – A new study published today in the American Journal of Infection Control (AJIC), suggests that health care facilities can significantly reduce the incidence of hospital-onset Clostridioides difficile infection (HO-CDI) by establishing interprofessional teams to implement selected, evidence-based infection-prevention interventions.

“Our project showed that interprofessional collaboration and continuous improvement can profoundly impact HO-CDI incidence, and sustain reductions over years,” said Cherith Walter, MSN, RN, Emory St. Joseph’s Hospital, and first author on the published study. “We hope our findings will help other healthcare teams struggling with this incredibly challenging healthcare-associated infection to improve patient safety and reduce associated costs.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an estimated 500,000 cases of CDI occur in the United States annually[1], making it one of the most prevalent healthcare-associated infections (HAI) in the country. Due to the cost of caring for patients with HO-CDI, as well as financial penalties levied under the Centers for Medicare and Medical Services’ (CMS) hospital-acquired condition reduction program, these infections have increased the financial burden on the healthcare system.

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