If a bed's previous patient receives antibiotics, it puts the next occupant at an increased risk for a Clostridium difficile infection, according to an article on the Becker's Infection Control and Quality Control website.
"Antibiotics can directly affect risk for [C. diff infection] in patients who do not themselves receive antibiotics," according to a study published in JAMA Internal Medicine.
Out of 100,615 pairs of patients who occupied a hospital bed sequentially, the second patient developed a C. diff infection in 576 pairs.
The risk of a C. diff infection in the second patient was 0.72 percent when the first patient received antibiotics and 0.43 percent when the first patient did not.
How Health Systems Are Rethinking Facilities Amid Margin Pressure
Ground Broken on New Medical Office Building in Scottsdale, AZ
University of Texas Gifted $100M for New Medical Center
Beyond Backup Generators: Building Layered Energy Resilience
Shannon Health System to Acquire Scenic Mountain Medical Center