In a recent comparative study reported in Open Forum Infectious Diseases, the role of infectious disease specialists (IDS) in the management of Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) revealed significant clinical benefits. The study, conducted across two Spanish hospitals with contrasting IDS availability during the period of January to December 2021, demonstrated the potential of IDS-centric intervention in infection control, diagnosis, and treatment procedures.
Hospital A, a 900-bed referral university hospital offering advanced healthcare services, championed the role of IDS while Hospital B, a less complex teaching hospital with 380 beds, lacked IDS representation. The assessment found significant advantages in the IDS-inclusive approach at Hospital A, with reduced rates of recurrent CDI hospital admissions, lower patient visits to emergency departments due to CDI-related problems, and improved adherence to current treatment guidelines.
Unnecessary treatments were curtailed more effectively in Hospital A (19.3% vs 11.5%), and patients had better access to modern therapies (35.3% vs 13%). Furthermore, Hospital A lead in compliance with treatment guidelines (95.8% vs 71.3%), thus indicating superior infection control practices. The infix at Hospital A involved a two-pronged interventional approach directed by an IDS – individual patient assessment with resultant treatment determination and continuous IDS accessibility for patients with both verbal and written resource provision.
Contrastingly, Hospital B lacked a standardized CDI treatment regimen, with all positive test results attended by various physicians irrespective of their specialization, and no IDS providers were available. This study analyzes hospitals’ practices, adding substance to the argument that IDS evaluation and management in infection control could result in better patient outcomes and optimizing hospital resource usage.
While there is a general scarcity of studies examining the outcomes of an IDS-driven CDI management program, this study provides substantial evidence in this direction. It underlines the benefits of not overprescribing antibiotics, more adherence to clinical guidelines, easier access to novel therapies, and a decrease in hospital resource usage. However, the observations made in the study are integral for the Infection Prevention community and warrant further investigation.