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.
Contaminants Under Foot: A Closer Look at Patient Room Floors
Power Outages Largely Driven by Extreme Weather Events
Nemours Children's Health Opens New Moseley Foundation Institute Hospital
Code Compliance Isn't Enough for Healthcare Resilience
Ribbon Cutting Marks First Phase Completion for New Montefiore Einstein Facility