Underestimation of Clostridium difficile infection among clinicians: An international survey

Mavros, MN; Alexiou, VG; Vardakas, KZ; Tsokali, K; Sardi, TA; Falagas, ME; Mavros, MN; Alexiou, VG; Tsokali, K; Vardakas, KZ; Falagas, ME; Falagas, ME

dc.contributor.author	Mavros, MN	en
dc.contributor.author	Alexiou, VG	en
dc.contributor.author	Vardakas, KZ	en
dc.contributor.author	Tsokali, K	en
dc.contributor.author	Sardi, TA	en
dc.contributor.author	Falagas, ME	en
dc.contributor.author	Mavros, MN	en
dc.contributor.author	Alexiou, VG	en
dc.contributor.author	Tsokali, K	en
dc.contributor.author	Vardakas, KZ	en
dc.contributor.author	Falagas, ME	en
dc.contributor.author	Falagas, ME	en
dc.date.accessioned	2014-03-01T02:14:52Z
dc.date.available	2014-03-01T02:14:52Z
dc.date.issued	2012	en
dc.identifier.issn	09349723	en
dc.identifier.uri	https://dspace.lib.ntua.gr/xmlui/handle/123456789/30160
dc.title	Underestimation of Clostridium difficile infection among clinicians: An international survey	en
heal.type	journalArticle	en
heal.identifier.primary	10.1007/s10096-012-1587-9	en
heal.identifier.secondary	http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10096-012-1587-9	en
heal.publicationDate	2012	en
heal.abstract	The objective of this investigation was to document clinicians' awareness regarding the incidence and severity of Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea (CDAD). An international electronic survey was conducted among corresponding authors of articles indexed by PubMed and published during the last 10 years in 'Core Clinical Journals'. A total of 1,163 clinicians answered (response rate 59%); most of the responses were submitted from North America (54.6%), Europe (32.2%), and Asia/Pacific (11.6%). Only 2. 2% of the participants answered correctly all four questions, while 14.1% answered all questions incorrectly. Regarding each question, 10.8% of the participants correctly estimated current CDAD treatment failure or recurrence rates to be around 40%, 33.4% correctly estimated the ratio of antibiotic-associated colitis attributed to C. difficile to be around 60%, 72.7% correctly responded that almost all antibiotics are associated with CDAD, and 41.7% correctly responded that any patient is at risk for CDAD. Almost half (44.4%) of the respondents considered CDAD to be underestimated. Participants from North America scored higher than those from Europe or Asia/Pacific (p<0.001). Participants considering CDAD to be overestimated (3.4%) had the lowest mean score of correct answers. Among a clinically diverse international sample of physicians with academic expertise, there was an inadequate level of awareness of the magnitude and clinical importance of CDAD. © Springer-Verlag 2012.	en
heal.journalName	European Journal of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases	en
dc.identifier.doi	10.1007/s10096-012-1587-9	en
dc.identifier.volume	31	en
dc.identifier.issue	9	en
dc.identifier.spage	2439	en
dc.identifier.epage	2444	en