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Effect of Telephoned Notification of Positive Clostridium difficile Test Results on the Time to the Ordering of Antimicrobial Therapy

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2015

Brandon P. Verdoorn ,
Robert Orenstein ,
John W. Wilson ,
Lynn L. Estes ,
Randy F. Wendt ,
Cathy D. Schleck ,
William S. Harmsen ,
Lisa M. Nyre  and
Robin Patel
Brandon P. Verdoorn
Affiliation:
Mayo Medical School, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, Minnesota
Robert Orenstein
Affiliation:
Division of Infectious Diseases, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, Minnesota
John W. Wilson
Affiliation:
Division of Infectious Diseases, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, Minnesota
Lynn L. Estes
Affiliation:
Division of Infectious Diseases, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, Minnesota
Randy F. Wendt
Affiliation:
Division of Clinical Support Services, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, Minnesota
Cathy D. Schleck
Affiliation:
Division of Biostatistics, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, Minnesota
William S. Harmsen
Affiliation:
Division of Biostatistics, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, Minnesota
Lisa M. Nyre
Affiliation:
Division of Clinical Microbiology, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, Minnesota
Robin Patel*
Affiliation:
Division of Infectious Diseases, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, Minnesota Division of Clinical Microbiology, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, Minnesota
*
Division of Clinical Microbiology College of Medicine, Mayo Clinic, 200 First St SW, Rochester, MN 55905 (patel.robin@mayo.edu)
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Abstract

The time between electronic-medical-record reporting of a positive result of a test for Clostridium difficile toxin in stool and the ordering of antimicrobial therapy was compared during consecutive periods when results were not telephoned (n = 274) and when results were telephoned (n = 90) to the clinical service. The mean times to the ordering of antimicrobial therapy were 11.9 and 3.6 hours, respectively (P < .001).

Type
Concise Communications
Information
Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology , Volume 29 , Issue 7 , July 2008 , pp. 658 - 660
Copyright
Copyright © The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America 2008

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