Impact of a Healthcare Provider Educational Intervention on Frequency of Clostridium difficile Polymerase Chain Reaction Testing in Children: A Segmented Regression Analysis.

ABSTRACT:

Background.

Although Clostridium difficile infections (CDIs) are increasingly diagnosed in children, many children diagnosed with CDI lack classic risk factors. Frequent use of highly sensitive tcdB polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing in low-risk patients leads to CDI misdiagnosis and unnecessary CDI antibiotic use in children with C difficile carriage.

Methods.

For this quasi-experimental study, we developed and implemented an educational intervention (EI) to inform healthcare providers (HCPs) about tcdB PCR test limitations. We provided HCP didactic education and built an electronic notification into the tcdB PCR test order that describes scenarios in which carriage is more likely than CDI. Segmented regression analysis assessed changes in level (ie, overall rates) and

SUBMITTER: Kociolek LK 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5907876 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature