Question: Was implementation of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Strategies to Prevent Clostridioides difficile Infection in Acute Care Facilities Framework (hereafter, the Framework) in a regional hospital network associated with a decrease in hospital-onset C difficile infections (HO-CDI)?
Findings: In this quality improvement study of 2184 HO-CDI cases (7 269 429 patient-days), the 20 hospitals participating in the Framework had a steeper decline in HO-CDI incidence vs 26 nonparticipating hospitals, but implementation of the Framework was not temporally associated with the decline. The incidence of HO-CDI was declining in participating hospitals before the intervention, and the rate of decline did not change during the intervention.
Meaning: Findings of this study suggest that benefits from implementation of the Framework warrant further study.