C. difficile Infection

Clostridium difficile (C. diff) is a bacterium that can cause diarrhea, abdominal pain, loss of appetite, and fever. Most C. diff cases occur in patients taking antibiotics and  killing the bacteria in an infected patient can be very difficult. C. diff can spread on contaminated equipment or by providers who fail to properly wash their hands between patients. This measure compares a hospital's observed number of infections with an expected number of infections that takes into account certain hospital characteristics like their status as an academic medical center to result in a standardized infection ratio (SIR). Hospitals with an SIR less than 1 have fewer than expected infections, hospitals with an SIR of 1 have the same number of infections as expected, and hospitals with an SIR greater than 1 have more infections than expected. 

Reporting Period 

• Surveys submitted prior to September 1: 01/01/2023 - 12/31/2023
• Surveys (re)submitted on or after September 1: 07/01/2023 - 06/30/2024

Patients Included in the Measure

• Inpatients (Patients who are admitted to the hospital for at least one overnight stay)
• Adults and Children