Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37395984›Full record

ReviewInfectious diseases and therapy2023

Patient Experiences with Clostridioides difficile Infection and Its Treatment: A Systematic Literature Review.

Edward P Armstrong, Daniel C Malone, Duska M Franic, Sissi V Pham, Dan Gratie, Alpesh Amin

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Infectious diseases and therapy, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
7citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

7 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. Factors driving increases inEuro surveillance : bulletin Europeen sur les maladies transmissibles = European communicable disease bulletin · 2026
    Article
  3. Article
  4. Patients, antibiotics andJAC-antimicrobial resistance · 2025
    Article
  5. Antimicrobial stewardship & healthcare epidemiology : ASHE · 2025
    Article
  6. Article
  7. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Edward P ArmstrongStrategic Therapeutics and University of Arizona College of Pharmacy, Tucson, AZ, USA.
Daniel C MaloneStrategic Therapeutics and University of Utah College of Pharmacy, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.
Duska M FranicEvidence Institute AESARA, P.O. Box 4266, Chapel Hill, NC, 27515, USA. duska.franic@aesara.com.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5983-1843
Sissi V PhamEvidence Institute AESARA, P.O. Box 4266, Chapel Hill, NC, 27515, USA.
Dan GratieEvidence Institute AESARA, P.O. Box 4266, Chapel Hill, NC, 27515, USA.
Alpesh AminMedicine, Business, Public Health, Nursing Science, & Biomedical Engineering, Hospitalist Program, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionClostridioides difficile infection (CDI) is a globally recognized cause of morbidity and mortality with devastating effects on health-related quality of life (HRQoL). The objective of this study was to conduct the first systematic literature review (SLR) to assess the humanistic burden of CDI on patient experiences, including HRQoL and related constructs, and attitudes towards treatment alternatives.

methodsAn SLR was conducted to identify peer-reviewed articles that assessed CDI, including recurrent CDI (rCDI), and patient-reported outcomes or HRQoL. PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Collaboration abstracting services were used to conduct literature searches from 2010 to 2021 in the English language. This SLR was conducted in accordance with Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) criteria.

resultsOf 511 identified articles, 21 met study inclusion criteria. The SLR showed CDI has a devastating impact on patients' overall HRQoL that continues well beyond infection clearance. The impact of CDI on physical, emotional, social, and professional well-being rivaled abdominal symptoms of uncontrollable diarrhea, being worse for patients with rCDI. Patients with CDI feel isolated, depressed, lonely, and continue to be frightened of recurrences as well as being contagious to others. Most believe that they will never be free of CDI.

conclusionCDI and rCDI are debilitating conditions affecting physical, psychological, social, and professional functioning of patients' HRQoL, even long after the event has occurred. The results of this SLR suggest that CDI is a devastating condition in need of better prevention strategies, improved psychological support, and treatments that address the microbiome disruption to break the cycle of recurrence. Additional safe and effective therapies are needed to address this unmet medical need.

Indexed as

Clostridioides difficileInfectious diarrheaMicrobiomePatient engagementPatient experiencePatient-reported outcomesQuality of lifeSurvey

Identifiers

PMID37395984
PMCPMC10390453

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.