Diarrhea among residents of long-term care facilities

Diarrhea is a common problem among residents of long-term care facilities. Although the etiology of many cases of diarrhea will be noninfectious, the approach to managing all patients with diarrhea must include assuring the adequacy of hydration and controlling the spread of infection. The latter issue is especially critical in nursing homes where a large proportion of patients can became ill over a several-day period during an outbreak. Although most outbreaks of diarrhea are viral in origin, bacterial outbreaks can lead to hospitalization and even death. Increasing awareness among physicians and infection control practitioners of the correct approaches to investigating and managing cases of diarrhea among nursing home patients is necessary because the magnitude of this problem will grow as the number of individuals being cared for in long-term care facilities increases.