July 19, 2011
The Question
Are oral vancomycin sales a useful marker for Clostridium difficile activity and what historical changes in the epidemiology of CDI are associated with changes in oral vancomycin prescribing?
What we found
A statistically significant and positive association between the number of oral vancomycin prescriptions and the number of CDI cases was determined. This indicated that CDI cases are associated with a simultaneous increase in oral vancomycin use.
Why it matters
A change in prescribing oral vancomycin can be viewed as a possible signal for a change in practice and/or possibly a change in the epidemiology of C. difficile.
