Abstract
Antibiotic-associated diarrhea (AAD) including Clostridium difficile associated diarrhea (CDAD) has been a challenging topic for the healthcare industry. AAD is caused by the disruption of normal microbial balance along with the gastrointestinal (GI) tract due to the use of an antibiotic. AAD not only increases healthcare cost burden but also increases morbidity and mortality among vulnerable populations such as the elderly. Death from CDAD for a patient over 65 years is about 90% (Mallina et al., 2018). Antibiotic use is very common among the elderly and it is the responsibility of healthcare providers to take appropriate measures in preventing complications associated with antibiotic use among these populations. Easily available, tolerable, and cost-effective probiotics can be life-saving measures for many elderly populations if it is effective in preventing AAD and CDAD. The purpose of this study is to analyze the effects of probiotics in preventing or reducing AAD and CDAD when prescribing probiotics along with antibiotics among elderly patients who are admitted to the medical-surgical geriatric unit of the hospital. Many previous research studies show some promising results in preventing or improving AAD and CDAD symptoms among all populations including the elderly. This project includes prescribing probiotics along with antibiotic therapy for an elderly patient who requires antibiotics. The AAD, CDAD rate, and diarrhea days for these patients will be analyzed with the previous rate to assess the success of this project. The PICOT question for this study is as follows: In patients 65 years and older (P), how does the use of probiotic (I) compared to non-use of probiotic therapy (C) affect the risk of antibiotic-associated diarrhea (O) during or within 12 weeks of antibiotic therapy (T)?
Date of publication
Spring 4-26-2021
Document Type
MSN Capstone Project
Language
english
Persistent identifier
http://hdl.handle.net/10950/3702
Degree
MSN
Recommended Citation
Amatya, Chanda, "Use of Probiotic in Preventing Antibiotic-Associated Diarrhea" (2021). MSN Capstone Projects. Paper 120.
http://hdl.handle.net/10950/3702