Clostridium difficile toxin testing by National Health Service (NHS) acute Trusts in England: 2008-2013

S. M. Gerver; Alan Johnson; Russell Hope

doi:10.1016/j.cmi.2015.04.013

Clostridium difficile toxin testing by National Health Service (NHS) acute Trusts in England: 2008-2013

S. M. Gerver^*
, Alan Johnson
, Russell Hope

^*Corresponding author for this work

GRAM Negative

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

1 Citation (Scopus)

Abstract

In October 2007, a governmental 3-year target to reduce Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) by 30%, with financial penalties levied for failure, was introduced in England. This target was met within just 1 year, leading to speculation of 'gaming', with hospitals empirically treating possible CDI in the absence of a microbiological diagnosis, to avoid having to report confirmed cases. An analysis of aggregate mandatory data on levels of testing for C. difficile toxin showed little evidence of a fall in testing during the steepest infection rate reductions, suggesting that this was not a major factor in the decline in CDI.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	850.e1-850.e4
Journal	Clinical Microbiology and Infection
Volume	21
Issue number	9
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cmi.2015.04.013
Publication status	Published - 1 Sept 2015

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
All of the authors work for Public Health England, which is funded by the British Government . None of the authors have anything else to declare.

Publisher Copyright:
© 2015.

Keywords

Clostridium difficile
England
Objectives
Stool samples
Toxin testing

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

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10.1016/j.cmi.2015.04.013

Cite this

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title = "Clostridium difficile toxin testing by National Health Service (NHS) acute Trusts in England: 2008-2013",

abstract = "In October 2007, a governmental 3-year target to reduce Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) by 30\%, with financial penalties levied for failure, was introduced in England. This target was met within just 1 year, leading to speculation of 'gaming', with hospitals empirically treating possible CDI in the absence of a microbiological diagnosis, to avoid having to report confirmed cases. An analysis of aggregate mandatory data on levels of testing for C. difficile toxin showed little evidence of a fall in testing during the steepest infection rate reductions, suggesting that this was not a major factor in the decline in CDI.",

keywords = "Clostridium difficile, England, Objectives, Stool samples, Toxin testing",

author = "Gerver, \{S. M.\} and Alan Johnson and Russell Hope",

note = "Funding Information: All of the authors work for Public Health England, which is funded by the British Government . None of the authors have anything else to declare. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2015.",

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doi = "10.1016/j.cmi.2015.04.013",

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AU - Johnson, Alan

AU - Hope, Russell

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N2 - In October 2007, a governmental 3-year target to reduce Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) by 30%, with financial penalties levied for failure, was introduced in England. This target was met within just 1 year, leading to speculation of 'gaming', with hospitals empirically treating possible CDI in the absence of a microbiological diagnosis, to avoid having to report confirmed cases. An analysis of aggregate mandatory data on levels of testing for C. difficile toxin showed little evidence of a fall in testing during the steepest infection rate reductions, suggesting that this was not a major factor in the decline in CDI.

AB - In October 2007, a governmental 3-year target to reduce Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) by 30%, with financial penalties levied for failure, was introduced in England. This target was met within just 1 year, leading to speculation of 'gaming', with hospitals empirically treating possible CDI in the absence of a microbiological diagnosis, to avoid having to report confirmed cases. An analysis of aggregate mandatory data on levels of testing for C. difficile toxin showed little evidence of a fall in testing during the steepest infection rate reductions, suggesting that this was not a major factor in the decline in CDI.

KW - Clostridium difficile

KW - England

KW - Objectives

KW - Stool samples

KW - Toxin testing

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SP - 850.e1-850.e4

JO - Clinical Microbiology and Infection

JF - Clinical Microbiology and Infection

IS - 9

ER -

Clostridium difficile toxin testing by National Health Service (NHS) acute Trusts in England: 2008-2013

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Keywords

UN SDGs

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