Keyword: prognosis

Predictive Factors for Death among Patients with Clostridium difficile Infection – A Single Center Experience Study

Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) is one of the most common healthcare-associated infections and an important cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. The objective of the study was to identify the predictive factors for unfavorable evolution and deaths among patients with CDI. Materials and methods: We conducted a retrospective, observational, non-randomized study on 202 patients diagnosed with CDI in the Clinical Emergency Hospital of Bucharest, Romania, for a period of two years. For the statistical analysis, the R program was used, with p-values <0.05 being considered statistically significant. Results: The average age of the patients included in the study was 70.8 years, the average duration of hospitalization was 18.4 days, and the mortality rate was 25.7%. During the follow-up period, only 5% of the patients presented a recurrence of CDI. Multiple binomial logistic regression defined as independent risk factors for death among CDI patients: advanced age, comorbidities such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (p=0.008), chronic kidney disease (p=0.007), or COVID-19 (p=0.036), leukocytes ≥ 16,755/mm3 (p=0.009) and serum albumin < 2.83 g/dL (p<0.001). Conclusions: The identification of certain negative prognostic factors in patients with CDI requires a careful follow-up of the patients, for an early identification of complications and adaptation of therapeutic management.

Reliability and Validity Related to the Persian Version of the Trust in Physician Scale (TIPS) Questionnaire

Patients' trust in their physicians is reflected in their steadfast confidence, which encourages greater patient cooperation in treatment, thereby enhancing the prognosis of the disease. We aimed to evaluate the validity and reliability of the Trust in Physician Scale questionnaire (TIPS) by translating it into Persian. After obtaining the main author's permission, the forward- backward translation technique was employed to develop the Persian version. We conducted a cross-sectional study utilizing the TIPS questionnaire among adult patients who presented to the hospital emergency room. This survey involved 310 patients, of which 157 (50.6%) were male and 153 (49.4%) were female. During the study, the mean and standard deviation of patients' age were 56.6 and ± 20.6 years, respectively. The Cronbach's alpha coefficient for this scale was 0.875, demonstrating good internal consistency of the questionnaire. Using factor analysis, the scale items filled one subgroup. To evaluate the reliability of this test, the intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) was determined to be 0.75, confirming its reliability. This study demonstrated acceptable validity and reliability of the TIPS questionnaire for evaluating patients' trust in their physicians in a Persian-speaking society.