Prevent CDI-55

About the Project

Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) is the most common cause of severe, infectious diarrhea in hospitalized patients. It is estimated that each CDI case costs Alberta $9,610-$32,400 per hospitalization, a total annual burden of $12-28 million. Probiotics are live microorganisms that promote healthy gut flora and have been studied as a possible measure to prevent CDI. The Prevent CDI-55 quality improvement initiative aims to reduce the incidence of hospital-acquired CDI by prescribing probiotics with antibiotics to hospitalized patients over the age of 55.

Impact

  • Evaluation of the overall incidence of hospital-acquired CDI in patients over the age of 55, in the pre- vs. post-intervention periods of prescribing the probiotic BioK+ with therapeutic antibiotics
  • Implementing a practice change in four Calgary hospitals by prescribing probiotics with antibiotics
  • Measuring resource use and costs associated with the introduction of probiotics and conducting a cost-effectiveness analysis to evaluate the value of probiotics to the healthcare system

Services Provided

  • Grant Writing Support
  • Ethics Development and Management
  • Clinical Trial Design and Coordination
  • Medical and Scientific Oversight
  • Regulatory Applications and Submissions
  • Participant Screening and Recruitment
  • Specimen Collection
  • Data Management
  • Stakeholder Engagement
  • Knowledge Translation

Additional Content

CDI-55 Clinical Sites