Report: Some OKC Hospitals Not Doing Enough To Stop C-Diff Infections

<p>A new report says potentially deadly C-Diff infections are on the rise, but we found most Oklahoma City hospitals are not doing enough to stop it.</p>

Friday, March 11th 2016, 8:28 am

By: News 9


A new report says potentially deadly C-Diff infections are on the rise, but we found most Oklahoma City hospitals are not doing enough to stop it.

C.Diff is a deadly infection that some reports say contributes to the death of about 29,000 people a year, and sickens about 450,000.

C.Diff spreads in two ways. Doctors tell ConsumerReports.org the first is the misuse of antibiotics in hospitals. When not used correctly those drugs can kill off the "good" bacteria that normally grow in your stomach, which allows bad bacteria, including C.Diff, to spread.

The other way it spreads is poor hygiene. Doctors say C.Diff, which is found in fecal matter, is easily passed from person to person and can survive on door knobs and other surfaces for weeks.

Here's the local list on Consumer Reports of hospitals in the state having a hard time getting C.Diff under control. OU Med gets a 42 out of 100. St. Anthony in OKC gets a 46 out of 100. And the highest rated hospital on the list in the state -- the Oklahoma Heart Hospital, which has a 61 out of 100.

In response some major hospitals in urban areas say their challenge is routinely admitting patients with multiple conditions. Another explanation -- teaching hospitals are able to detect more cases of C.Diff because they test and report more carefully.

See a complete list of rated hospitals and their scores. All other hospitals in Oklahoma are “not yet rated.”

According to the report, 100/100 is a perfect score, meaning that hospital is doing a very good job at stopping the spread of C.Diff.

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