Effect of telephoned notification of positive Clostridium difficile test results on the time to the ordering of antimicrobial therapy

Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol. 2008 Jul;29(7):658-60. doi: 10.1086/589586.

Abstract

The time between electronic-medical-record reporting of a positive result of a test for Clostridium difficile toxin in stool and the ordering of antimicrobial therapy was compared during consecutive periods when results were not telephoned (n = 274) and when results were telephoned (n = 90) to the clinical service. The mean times to the ordering of antimicrobial therapy were 11.9 and 3.6 hours, respectively (P < .001).

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Anti-Bacterial Agents / therapeutic use*
  • Bacterial Toxins / analysis
  • Clostridioides difficile* / isolation & purification
  • Clostridioides difficile* / metabolism
  • Disease Notification*
  • Enterocolitis, Pseudomembranous* / diagnosis
  • Enterocolitis, Pseudomembranous* / drug therapy
  • Enterocolitis, Pseudomembranous* / microbiology
  • Enterotoxins / analysis
  • Feces / chemistry
  • Humans
  • Length of Stay
  • Medical Records Systems, Computerized
  • Metronidazole / therapeutic use
  • Practice Patterns, Physicians'*
  • Telephone*
  • Time Factors
  • Vancomycin / therapeutic use

Substances

  • Anti-Bacterial Agents
  • Bacterial Toxins
  • Enterotoxins
  • Metronidazole
  • Vancomycin