scholarly journals Clostridioides difficile Testing Stewardship for Laxative Use Is Effective and Safe When Combined With Expert Clinical Input

2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (S1) ◽  
pp. s169-s170
Author(s):  
Francesca Torriani ◽  
Frank Myers Robert El-Kareh ◽  
Minji Kang ◽  
Randy Taplitz ◽  
Shira Abeles

Background: In January 2019, our large academic medical center implemented hard stops for ordering Clostridiodes difficile nucleic acid amplification testing (NAAT), and required a discussion with an infectious diseases physician if the order was placed in a clinical scenario not consistent with the 2017 IDSA/SHEA C. difficile infection (CDI) testing guidelines. Recently, some groups have expressed concerns that requiring the discontinuation of laxatives may delay the diagnosis of CDI and result in serious adverse outcomes. Methods:C. difficile testing stewardship interventions were performed at 2 hospitals within the same university health system to reduce inappropriate testing. In January 2019, a best practice advisory (BPA) was implemented to alert providers ordering C. difficile NAAT if patients had received laxatives within 24 hours, requiring a discussion with the ID physician to override the hard stop. We reviewed clinical outcomes of patients who had a BPA alert due to laxative use within the past 24 hours April 23 to October 23, 2019. Results: During the study period, there were 235 patients with a BPA because of laxative use within the past 24 hours. Moreover, 55 (23.4%) continued to experience diarrhea after the discontinuation of laxatives and were retested for CDI within 7 days. Only 8 tests returned positive, suggesting that, at most, 3.4% of cases had delayed diagnoses because of the hard stop. This finding is supported by the increase in the percentage of tests positive from 11.6% observed overall to 14.6% (8 of 55) after this intervention. There were no severe CDI cases (ICU admission, colectomy, or death) among patients who had delayed testing due to laxative use. Conclusions: In the setting of laxative use, C. difficile testing stewardship interventions with C. difficile NAAT using a hard-stop BPA are effective in reducing unnecessary testing and safe if they are used in combination with a real-time expert input of the risk of clinical disease.Funding: NoneDisclosures: None

2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (Supplement_2) ◽  
pp. S806-S806
Author(s):  
Susan Nichols ◽  
Michelle D Jordan ◽  
Michael Coogan ◽  
Jackie Opera ◽  
Paul P Cook

Abstract Background Previous data at our facility indicated 37% of patients with Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) were receiving at least one laxative at the time of testing, suggesting the possibility of false-positive results. Nucleic acid amplification testing (NAAT) does not distinguish between colonization and infection with C. difficile. We implemented two interventions to address these issues and evaluated our rates of nosocomial CDI before and after these changes. Methods This was a retrospective study of all positive test results for adult patients with nosocomial C. difficile from October 1, 2017 through March 31, 2019 at Vidant Medical Center, a 911-bed hospital. In June, 2018, we implemented a best practice advisory (BPA) in our electronic health record to recommend against testing for CDI in patients receiving laxatives. We reviewed the number of C. difficile tests ordered before and after initiating the BPA. In December, 2018, we removed NAAT and replaced it with a cell cytotoxicity assay (CCA) for specimens that were enzyme immunoassay (EIA) negative and glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH) positive. Antimicrobial use was measured in days of therapy (DOT) per 10,000 patient-days (PD). Mann–Whitney U test was used for continuous variables. Linear regression was used to monitor antimicrobial use. Results The number of C. difficile tests ordered per month decreased 19.5% after implementing the BPA (P < 0.0001). There was a 44% reduction in the number of EIA+/GDH+ specimens per month after the BPA intervention (P = 0.003). Following substitution of CCA for NAAT for EIA-/GDH+ specimens, there was a 61% reduction in the rate of nosocomial CDI (8.6 cases/10,000 PD to 3.3 cases/10,000 PD; P = 0.005). Total antimicrobial use was unchanged over the course of the study (673 to 677 DOT/10,000 PD). Carbapenem use decreased 56% (P = 0.009); cefepime use increased 85%(p = 0.002); quinolone and clindamycin use were unchanged. Conclusion Laxative use in hospitalized patients is common and likely contributes to a false elevation in the CDI rate by identifying carriers in addition to those who have true infection. Implementing a BPA to reduce inappropriate testing and changing our testing algorithm for Clostridium difficile by substituting CCA for NAAT has resulted in a lower rate of nosocomial CDI. Disclosures All authors: No reported disclosures.


2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (10) ◽  
pp. 1136-1141
Author(s):  
Nikki N. Tran ◽  
John P. Mills ◽  
Christopher Zimmerman ◽  
Tejal N. Gandhi ◽  
Alison C. Tribble ◽  
...  

AbstractObjective:To evaluate whether incorporating mandatory prior authorization for Clostridioides difficile testing into antimicrobial stewardship pharmacist workflow could reduce testing in patients with alternative etiologies for diarrhea.Design:Single center, quasi-experimental before-and-after study.Setting:Tertiary-care, academic medical center in Ann Arbor, Michigan.Patients:Adult and pediatric patients admitted between September 11, 2019 and December 10, 2019 were included if they had an order placed for 1 of the following: (1) C. difficile enzyme immunoassay (EIA) in patients hospitalized >72 hours and received laxatives, oral contrast, or initiated tube feeds within the prior 48 hours, (2) repeat molecular multiplex gastrointestinal pathogen panel (GIPAN) testing, or (3) GIPAN testing in patients hospitalized >72 hours.Intervention:A best-practice alert prompting prior authorization by the antimicrobial stewardship program (ASP) for EIA or GIPAN testing was implemented. Approval required the provider to page the ASP pharmacist and discuss rationale for testing. The provider could not proceed with the order if ASP approval was not obtained.Results:An average of 2.5 requests per day were received over the 3-month intervention period. The weekly rate of EIA and GIPAN orders per 1,000 patient days decreased significantly from 6.05 ± 0.94 to 4.87 ± 0.78 (IRR, 0.72; 95% CI, 0.56–0.93; P = .010) and from 1.72 ± 0.37 to 0.89 ± 0.29 (IRR, 0.53; 95% CI, 0.37–0.77; P = .001), respectively.Conclusions:We identified an efficient, effective C. difficile and GIPAN diagnostic stewardship approval model.


2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S443-S444
Author(s):  
David B Kopelman ◽  
Sharon B Wright ◽  
Howard Gold ◽  
Preeti Mehrotra ◽  
Preeti Mehrotra

Abstract Background In an effort to more accurately diagnose Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI), many hospitals have switched to two-step testing algorithms that rely on nucleic acid amplification testing with reflex enzyme immunoassay for toxin. Additionally, oral vancomycin prophylaxis (OVP) against CDI is increasingly being used; initial studies focused on preventing recurrence in patients with a prior history of CDI, but OVP is also being studied in primary prevention. We hypothesized that following the implementation of two-step testing, clinicians may use OVP for prevention of a patient’s first episode of CDI based on knowledge of prior PCR+/Toxin- testing. Methods We performed a single-center, retrospective cohort study of patients admitted to Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. We identified patients who received oral vancomycin once daily or BID for the prevention of CDI following implementation of two-step testing. Patients who received oral vancomycin as part of a taper following acute infection were excluded. We categorized rationale for prophylaxis based on clinical documentation and collected details of patients’ CDI history, antibiotic exposure, and subsequent CDI testing during hospitalization. Results In the 12 months following implementation of two-step testing, there were 80 patients who received OVP during hospitalization (2 daily and 78 BID). The vast majority (73, 91.3%) had a history of CDI and received OVP for secondary prevention while receiving systemic antibiotics. There were only 3 patients (3.8%) without known clinical history of CDI whose clinicians documented prophylaxis based on previous PCR+/Toxin- testing. Patients on OVP received a mean of 4.1 systemic antibiotics during hospitalization. When continuing OVP for a finite period after discontinuation of systemic antibiotics, this was most commonly done for 2-7 days (16 of 26, 61.5%). 22 patients underwent stool testing for CDI while receiving OVP in the hospital and all resulted PCR-negative. OVP Indication OVP Duration Conclusion Following implementation of two-step testing for CDI, use of OVP for primary prevention based solely on knowledge of PCR+/Toxin- testing in patients without a history of CDI was rare. Acute CDI appears unlikely in patients actively receiving OVP. Disclosures All Authors: No reported disclosures


2021 ◽  
pp. 019459982098413
Author(s):  
Cecelia E. Schmalbach ◽  
Jean Brereton ◽  
Cathlin Bowman ◽  
James C. Denneny

Objective (1) To describe the patient and membership cohort captured by the otolaryngology-based specialty-specific Reg-ent registry. (2) To outline the capabilities of the Reg-ent registry, including the process by which members can access evidence-based data to address knowledge gaps identified by the American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery/Foundation and ultimately define “quality” for our field of otolaryngology–head and neck surgery. Methods Data analytics was performed on Reg-ent (2015-2020) Results A total of 1629 participants from 239 practices were enrolled in Reg-ent, and 42 health care specialties were represented. Reg-ent encompassed 6,496,477 unique patients and 24,296,713 encounters/visits: the 45- to 64-year age group had the highest representation (n = 1,597,618, 28.1%); 3,867,835 (60.3%) patients identified as Caucasian; and “private” was the most common insurance (33%), followed by Blue Cross/Blue Shield (22%). Allergic rhinitis–unspecified and sensorineural hearing loss–bilateral were the top 2 diagnoses (9% each). Overall, 302 research gaps were identified from 17 clinical practice guidelines. Discussion Reg-ent benefits are vast—from monitoring one’s practice to defining otolaryngology–head and neck surgery quality, participating in advocacy, and conducting research. Reg-ent provides mechanisms for benchmarking, quality assessment, and performance measure development, with the objective of defining and guiding best practice in otolaryngology–head and neck surgery. To be successful, patient diversity must be achieved to include ethnicity and socioeconomic status. Increasing academic medical center membership will assist in achieving diversity so that the quality domain of equitable care is achieved. Implications for Practice Reg-ent provides the first ever registry that is specific to otolaryngology–head and neck surgery and compliant with HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) to collect patient outcomes and define evidence-based quality care.


2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (S1) ◽  
pp. s189-s191
Author(s):  
Dipesh Solanky ◽  
Ian Drobish ◽  
Derek Juang ◽  
Scott Johns ◽  
Sanjay Mehta ◽  
...  

Background:Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) accounts for >500,000 community-, nursing-, and hospital-acquired infections (HAIs), as well as 15,000–30,000 deaths, and =$4.8 billion in the United States annually. C. difficile toxin B gene nucleic acid amplification testing (NAAT) cannot distinguish between active CDI and colonization, particularly in the setting of laxative use or enteral feeding. Lack of judicious testing can result in the incorrect diagnosis of CDI, unnecessary CDI treatment, increased costs, and falsely augmented HAI rates. Like many healthcare facilities, the VA San Diego Healthcare System (VASDHS) solely utilizes C. difficile NAAT for CDI diagnosis. The aim of this study was to implement and evaluate a facility-wide initiative at the VASDHS to reduce healthcare onset, healthcare facility associated CDI (HO-HCFA CDI), including the use of a test ordering algorithm. Methods: From fiscal year (FY) 2015–2018, various measures were implemented including a hand hygiene initiative, reduction in fluoroquinolone usage, prompt isolation of patients with CDI, thorough terminal cleaning of rooms, and, lastly, a test-ordering algorithm starting FY2018. A retrospective study was performed to assess VASDHS HO-HCFA CDI case incidence, risk factors for infection, laxative or enteral feeding use at the time of testing, and CDI treatment. Results: Patient demographic data, medical history, CDI history, laxative use, treatment, and cost of CDI treatment were reviewed. From 2015 to 2018, 127 cases of HO-HCFA CDI were identified. The total number of HO-HCFA CDI cases and medication cost for CDI treatment were dramatically reduced from 2017 to 2018 following implementation of the test-ordering algorithm (Table 1, Fig. 1). This trend corresponded to a significant reduction in median HO-HCFA CDI cases per month (P = .02), medication cost of CDI treatment (P = .02), and proton pump inhibitor (PPI) use at the time of testing (P = .01). The number of positive HO-HCFA CDI cases associated with laxative use or escalation at the time of CDI testing (accounting for those on chronic laxatives) also decreased across the study period—most dramatically from 2015 vs 2016 (20 vs 14) and 2017 vs 2018 (11 vs 4) (Table 1). Conclusions: At the VASDHS, diagnostic stewardship of C. difficile NAAT with the use of a test-ordering algorithm significantly reduced HO-HCFA CDI incidence and treatment cost. This trend also corresponded with significantly less PPI use at the time of testing and reduced detection of colonization among patients with laxative-induced diarrhea. Diagnostic stewardship may serve as an effective tool to correctly diagnose and treat HO-HCFA CDI, while significantly reducing treatment costs.Funding: NoneDisclosures: None


Stroke ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 46 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathy Morrison ◽  

Background: Stroke care evolution has been remarkable since 2000, when the Brain Attack Coalition published their recommendations for Primary Stroke Centers. For the first time, hospitals had evidence-based standards to improve patient outcomes. Today, many states require emergency responders to take suspected stroke patients only to certified stroke centers. As a result, many hospitals have established the role of stroke coordinator to oversee the myriad facets of stroke care. Coordinators are overwhelmed with the opportunities - and responsibilities - to improve care processes. Method: In 2009, the stroke program manager at a Magnet academic medical center established a regional stroke coordinators’ group. Eight coordinators met and established milestones for success. Information has been shared and nurses have traded services, providing education for each other’s organization. The group of now 28 coordinators meets every other month. Results: Positive outcomes of membership in this dynamic group include a 65% increase in professional membership in American Association of Neuroscience Nurses. In addition, the coordinators report confidence and empowerment to impact change in their own organization that improved care and outcomes. Aggregate group data demonstrates improvement in the following measures: thrombolytic administration 44%; door-to-needle time 16%; & patient education 12%. Nine additional hospitals (from 6 to 17, a 183% increase) have attained Advanced Primary Stroke certification and the host organization achieved Comprehensive Stroke certification. Conclusion: Neuroscience nurses are influential leaders - not just within their own organization. These outcomes demonstrate the mutual benefit of stroke coordinator colleagues working together and sharing best practice strategies. Through multi-organizational collaboration, they have become empowered to establish programs and become experts within their organization, able to guide and improve the care provided by their own direct-care nurses.


2019 ◽  
Vol 57 (11) ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew M. Hitchcock ◽  
Marisa Holubar ◽  
Catherine A. Hogan ◽  
Lucy S. Tompkins ◽  
Niaz Banaei

ABSTRACT Nucleic acid amplification tests are commonly used to diagnose Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI). Two-step testing with a toxin enzyme immunoassay is recommended to discriminate between infection and colonization but requires additional resources. Prior studies showed that PCR cycle threshold (CT) can predict toxin positivity with high negative predictive value. Starting in October 2016, the predicted toxin result (CT-toxin) based on a validated cutoff was routinely reported at our facility. To evaluate the clinical efficacy of this reporting, all adult patients with positive GeneXpert PCR results from October 2016 through October 2017 underwent a chart review to measure the recurrence of or conversion to a CT-toxin+ result and 30-day all-cause mortality. There were 482 positive PCR tests in 430 unique patients, 282 CT-toxin+ and 200 CT-toxin−. Patient characteristics were similar at testing, though CT-toxin+ patients had higher white blood cell (WBC) counts (12.5 × 103 versus 9.3 × 103 cells/μl; P = 0.001). All cases (n = 21) of fulminant CDI had a CT-toxin+ result. Index CT-toxin+ patients were significantly more likely to have a CT-toxin+ result within 90 days than CT-toxin− patients (17.4% [n = 49] versus 8.0% [n = 16], respectively; P = 0.003). Thirty-day all-cause mortality was higher in CT-toxin− patients (11.1% versus 6.8%; P = 0.1), though no deaths in CT-toxin− patients were directly attributable to CDI. Of the 200 CT-toxin− patients, 51.5% (n = 103) were treated for CDI. The rates of conversion to a CT-toxin+ result (8.8% versus 7.2%; P = 0.8) and all-cause mortality (8.8% versus 13.4%; P = 0.3) were similar between treated and untreated CT-toxin− patients, respectively. CT-based toxin prediction may identify patients at higher risk for CDI-related complications and reduce treatment among CT-toxin− patients.


2019 ◽  
Vol 40 (6) ◽  
pp. 668-673 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jasmine R. Marcelin ◽  
Charlotte Brewer ◽  
Micah Beachy ◽  
Elizabeth Lyden ◽  
Tammy Winterboer ◽  
...  

AbstractObjective:To evaluate the impact of a hard stop in the electronic health record (EHR) on inappropriate gastrointestinal pathogen panel testing (GIPP).Design:We used a quasi-experimental study to evaluate testing before and after the implementation of an EHR alert to stop inappropriate GIPP ordering.Setting:Midwest academic medical center.Participants:Hospitalized patients with diarrhea for which GIPP testing was ordered, between January 2016 through March 2017 (period 1) and April 2017 through June 2018 (period 2).Intervention:A hard stop in the EHR prevented clinicians from ordering a GIPP more than once per admission or in patients hospitalized for >72 hours.Results:During period 1, 1,587 GIPP tests were ordered over 212,212 patient days, at a rate of 7.48 per 1,000 patient days. In period 2, 1,165 GIPP tests were ordered over 222,343 patient days, at a rate of 5.24 per 1,000 patient days. The Poisson model estimated a 30% reduction in total GIPP ordering rates between the 2 periods (relative risk, 0.70; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.63–0.78; P < .001). The rate of inappropriate tests ordered decreased from 21.5% to 4.9% between the 2 periods (P < .001). The total savings calculated factoring only GIPP orders that triggered the hard stop was ∼$67,000, with potential savings of $168,000 when factoring silent best-practice alert data.Conclusions:A simple hard stop alert in the EHR resulted in significant reduction of inappropriate GIPP testing, which was associated with significant cost savings. Clinicians can practice diagnostic stewardship by avoiding ordering this test more than once per admission or in patients hospitalized >72 hours.


2020 ◽  
Vol 42 (1) ◽  
pp. 51-56
Author(s):  
Dipesh Solanky ◽  
Derek K. Juang ◽  
Scott T. Johns ◽  
Ian C. Drobish ◽  
Sanjay R. Mehta ◽  
...  

AbstractObjective:Lack of judicious testing can result in the incorrect diagnosis of Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI), unnecessary CDI treatment, increased costs and falsely augmented hospital-acquired infection (HAI) rates. We evaluated facility-wide interventions used at the VA San Diego Healthcare System (VASDHS) to reduce healthcare-onset, healthcare-facility–associated CDI (HO-HCFA CDI), including the use of diagnostic stewardship with test ordering criteria.Design:We conducted a retrospective study to assess the effectiveness of measures implemented to reduce the rate of HO-HCFA CDI at the VASDHS from fiscal year (FY)2015 to FY2018.Interventions:Measures executed in a stepwise fashion included a hand hygiene initiative, prompt isolation of CDI patients, enhanced terminal room cleaning, reduction of fluoroquinolone and proton-pump inhibitor use, laboratory rejection of solid stool samples, and lastly diagnostic stewardship with C. difficile toxin B gene nucleic acid amplification testing (NAAT) criteria instituted in FY2018.Results:From FY2015 to FY2018, 127 cases of HO-HCFA CDI were identified. All rate-reducing initiatives resulted in decreased HO-HCFA cases (from 44 to 13; P ≤ .05). However, the number of HO-HCFA cases (34 to 13; P ≤ .05), potential false-positive testing associated with colonization and laxative use (from 11 to 4), hospital days (from 596 to 332), CDI-related hospitalization costs (from $2,780,681 to $1,534,190) and treatment cost (from $7,158 vs $1,476) decreased substantially following the introduction of diagnostic stewardship with test criteria from FY2017 to FY2018.Conclusions:Initiatives to decrease risk for CDI and diagnostic stewardship of C. difficile stool NAAT significantly reduced HO-HCFA CDI rates, detection of potential false-positives associated with laxative use, and lowered healthcare costs. Diagnostic stewardship itself had the most dramatic impact on outcomes observed and served as an effective tool in reducing HO-HCFA CDI rates.


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