Acceptability of screening for C. difficile Infections and Infestations
Conditions
Interventions
Overview:
The study will be undertaken in the Medical Admission Units in Morriston Hospital. Screening all consenting adults (aged =18 years) admitted to the acute admission units in Morriston Hospita
Sponsors
Public Health Wales
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
18 Years to 100 Years
Inclusion criteria
Inclusion criteria: 1. All patients aged =18 years admitted to the acute admission units in the study site who do not, at the time of admission, have diarrhoea (defined as Bristol stool chart >4) 2. Willing to provide a faecal sample or rectal swab on the basis of a verbal consent process.
Exclusion criteria
Exclusion criteria: 1. Patients who decline screening 2. Patients who have diarrhoea on admission to Morriston Hospital 3. Aged under 18 years old 4. Patients without the capacity to provide verbal consent 5. Other clinical emergency issues that require precedence over study inclusion
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| Feasibility: the proportion of admitted patients who are screened measured using data collected from electronic patient records at the end of the study | — |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| Organism-related characteristics: Genetic strain of C. difficile isolate measured using genomics-specific visualisation tools to determine the level of relatedness between the C. difficile isolates from both asymptomatic and symptomatic cases within the study site and period at the end of the study;Antibiotic prescription-related characteristics: The rate of broad-spectrum antibiotic use (Clindamycin, ciprofloxacin (quinolones), cephalosporins, co-amoxiclav (4C’s), Tazocin and Meropenem) will be compared between carriers and a non-carrier age-matched population measured using data from the electronic prescribing system at the end of the study;Antibiotic prescription-related characteristics: Proportion of those prescribed antibiotics within 28 days of admission measured using data from the electronic prescribing system at the end of the study;Infection prevention outcomes: The rate of implementation of the use of an apron, gloves and hand washing with soap and water in MAU patients who would otherwise have been managed without these interventions measured using data collected by study personnel through inpatient and notes review at the end of the study;Infection prevention outcomes: The speed of isolation following onset of diarrhoea in carriers vs non-carriers measured using data from the hospital bed data system at the end of the study;Patient-related characteristics: Proportion for whom sample collection was not possible for reasons other than the patient declining measured using information collected by the study team based on results from those enrolled at the end of the study;Patient-related characteristics: The prevalence of asymptomatic C. difficile carriage in the admitted patient cohort measured using the number of positive screens versus the total number screened at the end of the study;Patient-related characteristics: The number and percentage of patients who develop diarrhoea within 28 days of admission measured using data collected from clinical notes a | — |
Countries
United Kingdom, Wales
Contacts
Public ContactBrendan Healy
Outcome results
None listed