Journal of the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners
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J Am Acad Nurse Pract · Jun 2011
Meta AnalysisProbiotics for prevention of antibiotic-associated diarrhea and Clostridium difficile-associated disease in hospitalized adults--a meta-analysis.
A serious complication associated with the use of most antibiotics is antibiotic-associated diarrhea (AAD). The purpose of this article is to report findings from a meta-analysis of available studies on adult hospitalized populations to evaluate efficacy of probiotics for prevention of AAD and Clostridium difficile-associated disease (CDAD). ⋯ Extended hospital stays, readmissions, and higher hospital costs are just some of the consequences of ADD and CDAD. Strategies currently used include discontinuing or changing the inciting antibiotic, restricting high-risk antibiotics, and encouraging the use of antibiotics based on sensitivity reports. Healthcare spending, morbidity, and mortality can potentially be reduced considerably by reducing the occurrence of ADD and CDAD by administering prophylaxis with probiotics concurrently with antibiotics.