The incidence of the potentially deadly bacterial infection known as Clostridium difficile doubled in hospitals between 2001 and 2010, researchers report, and leveled off between 2008 and 2010. C. difficile is a hospital-acquired infection linked to 14,000 deaths a year. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the main cause is the overuse of antibiotics. Using hospital discharge data on about 2.2 million people, average age 75, the scientists found that about a third had a principal diagnosis of C. difficile infection. Two thirds had other primary diagnoses. Incidence increased to 8.2 per thousand in 2008, the peak year, from 4.5 per thousand in 2001. It then decreased slightly though 2010.
In a social media landscape shaped by hashtags, algorithms, and viral posts, nurse leaders must decide: Will they let the narrative spiral, or can they adapt and join the conversation?
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