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Background Clostridium difficile is a pathogen that may be a component of normal microbiota. In 2011, there were an estimated 453,000 cases of CDI in the United States and 29,300 deaths. Diagnosis of CDI is of often accomplished through nucleic acid amplification testing (NAAT) for C. difficile toxin genes, which carries a risk of false-positive results. In 1996, Katz et al. created a screen for CDI that was positive if the patient had significant diarrhea and either abdominal pain or prior antibiotic usage. Today, we believe that this tool is worth revisiting with increased incidence of CDI and improved testing methods. Our aim is to determine the current usefulness of the Katz et al. 1996 clinical decision tool for CDI. Methods We conducted a retrospective cross-sectional chart review at a Midwestern teaching hospital. All patients tested for CDI between June 1, 2016 and May 31, 2017 were initially eligible. Participants were excluded from data collection on the basis of missing information, a previous positive CDI test in the last 8 weeks or age |
