May 1st 2024
Insights from Dr. Md Zahidul Alam on treatments and prevention strategies for C difficile infection (CDI), supported by the CDC's recent study on CDI management in healthcare settings.
Are Nurse-Driven Clostridium difficile Protocols Effective?
May 13th 2017Gonzalo Bearman, MD, MPH, professor of medicine, and hospital epidemiologist, Department of Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases, Virginia Commonwealth University, examines the importance of nurse-driven Clostridium difficile protocols.
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What Are the Alternatives to Contact Precautions for C. diff Patients?
May 7th 2017Gonzalo Bearman, MD, MPH, professor of medicine, and hospital epidemiologist, Department of Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases, Virginia Commonwealth University, discusses some alternative approaches to contact precautions for patients with Clostridium difficile.
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Contact Precautions for Patients with Clostridium Difficile
May 3rd 2017Gonzalo Bearman, MD, MPH, professor of medicine, and hospital epidemiologist, Department of Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases, Virginia Commonwealth University, discusses contact precautions for patients with Clostridium difficile.
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Rethinking Strategies to Reduce Healthcare-Associated C. difficile Infections
April 23rd 2017Belinda Ostrowsky, MD, MPH, Health Systems Director of Epidemiology, Antimicrobial Stewardship & Infection Prevention, Montefiore Medical Center, and Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, discusses five stewardship strategies to help reduce healthcare-associated Clostridium difficile rates.
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How Aggressive Should Clostridium difficile Prevention Strategies Be?
April 12th 2017Gonzalo Bearman, MD, MPH, professor of medicine, and hospital epidemiologist, Department of Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases, Virginia Commonwealth University, discusses the aggressiveness of infection prevention strategies to stop Clostridium difficile outbreaks.
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Testing for C. difficile: What Are the Limitations?
April 8th 2017Belinda Ostrowsky, MD, MPH, Health Systems Director of Epidemiology, Antimicrobial Stewardship & Infection Prevention, Montefiore Medical Center, and Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, discusses limitations to C. difficile testing that could impact stewardship practices in healthcare facilities.
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New Fecal Transplant Method Treats C. difficile "Like Instant Coffee"
April 6th 2017Research coming in from the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston shows that when it comes to treating those with C. difficile, frozen and freeze-dried products for Fecal Microbiota Transplantation are nearly as effective as fresh product.
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Beta-Lactam Allergy Linked to Worse Clinical Outcomes
March 13th 2017On March 5, 2017, at the 2017 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI), Gary Huang, MD, PhD, explained his research team's findings regarding self-reported allergy to drugs containing β-lactams.
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Vancomycin May Be More Effective for Treating Severe C. diff Infections
February 14th 2017In a new study, researchers found that patients with severe Clostridium difficile (C. diff) infections who were treated with vancomycin had lower mortality rates than patients who were treated with metronidazole.
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Pfizer's C. difficile Vaccine Succeeds in Phase II Study
February 2nd 2017Researchers found the experimental vaccine could potentially inhibit severe diarrhea and pseudomembranous colitis by inducing a functional antibody response that can neutralize the two main disease-causing toxins (toxin A or B) produced by C. difficile.
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When Can Antibiotic Use Be More Harmful than Helpful?
November 19th 2016Lauri A. Hicks, DO, captain, US Public Health Service, director, Office of Antibiotic Stewardship, medical director, Get Smart: Know When Antibiotics Work, Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, explains how antibiotics can be harmful if they are not used appropriately.
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Social Media Platforms Used for Antibiotic Stewardship Training Program
November 8th 2016Researchers at University of Chicago Medicine have created an antibiotic stewardship training program for internal medicine residents that incorporates social media platforms, offering a technological tool for a growing health problem.
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Intervention Decreases Inappropriate Urine Testing and Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infections
November 4th 2016A study using different criteria for urine testing than those outlined by the current Infectious Disease Society of America (IDSA) guidelines, has proven to cut down on the testing of urine samples and inappropriate use of antimicrobials.
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“Handshake Stewardship” Program Sees Drop in Antibiotic Use and C. diff Rates
October 30th 2016Doctors at the Children’s Hospital Colorado have published their research on a new approach to antibiotic stewardship, with promising reductions in antibiotic use and rates of Clostridium difficile.
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Using UV Light to Fight C. difficile in Hospitals
October 13th 2016As hospitals continue to search for new ways to limit their number of patients acquiring Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) infections, a new study shows promise in the use of ultraviolet light technology for ridding patient rooms of highly resistant C. difficile spores.
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