The Effect of daily Use of Probioticsin Adults Experiencing Antibiotic-Associated Diarrhea

Disciplines

Medical Education | Nursing

Abstract (300 words maximum)

Abstract

A common cause of diarrhea is the prescribed course of antibiotics to treat an infection. Diarrhea can be a dangerous side effect that can prolong the stay in the hospital, increase the hospital bills to the patient, and in general, can deplete the body and diminish the well-being of the person. According to Wright et al. (2015) the widespread use of antibiotics cause diarrhea in patients and it is prevalent in a hospital setting. As described in the article written by Litao et al. (2018) intestinal flora is disrupted by the use of antibiotics and diarrhea cannot be explained in any other way. According to Litao et al. (2018) the balance of the microflora in the gut is very important, once antibiotic is used, the antibiotic sensitive bacteria is killed, and the antibiotic resistant bacteria multiply. This disbalance cause enteritis and diarrhea.

We want to reduce the duration and frequency of diarrhea as best as possible. This project will focus on how the daily dose of probiotics during antibiotic therapy compared to no daily dose of probiotics during antibiotic therapy will be beneficial.

Our intervention as the solution to our problem is the use of probiotics over no use of probiotics to stop or reduce the duration and frequency of diarrhea in patients taking antibiotics.

Probiotics can be found in various forms such as yogurt, tablets, and capsules in dietary supplements and as non-prescription drugs from pharmacies. Our intervention suggested implementing probiotics such as yogurt into the patient’s diet. Owen-Jones et al. (2018) highly suggests yogurt over most probiotics because of how easily digestible it is. It was shown that there was better evidence of using probiotics over not using probiotics to stop or reduce the duration and frequency of diarrhea.

In a clinical practice setting, we can use our intervention for resolving the clinical problem by making sure there are options in the patient’s food menu that incorporate probiotics as needed in the patient’s diet. As long as there are no other dietary restrictions, the patient is allowed to choose the food menu options for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. As nurses, we can assist our patients in choosing probiotic included meal options that will most benefit them. By having a diet that has something like yogurt readily available in a clinical setting, our patients will be able to reduce or stop the duration and frequency of their antibiotic-associated diarrhea.

Academic department under which the project should be listed

Nursing

Primary Investigator (PI) Name

Evah Wangungu

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The Effect of daily Use of Probioticsin Adults Experiencing Antibiotic-Associated Diarrhea

Abstract

A common cause of diarrhea is the prescribed course of antibiotics to treat an infection. Diarrhea can be a dangerous side effect that can prolong the stay in the hospital, increase the hospital bills to the patient, and in general, can deplete the body and diminish the well-being of the person. According to Wright et al. (2015) the widespread use of antibiotics cause diarrhea in patients and it is prevalent in a hospital setting. As described in the article written by Litao et al. (2018) intestinal flora is disrupted by the use of antibiotics and diarrhea cannot be explained in any other way. According to Litao et al. (2018) the balance of the microflora in the gut is very important, once antibiotic is used, the antibiotic sensitive bacteria is killed, and the antibiotic resistant bacteria multiply. This disbalance cause enteritis and diarrhea.

We want to reduce the duration and frequency of diarrhea as best as possible. This project will focus on how the daily dose of probiotics during antibiotic therapy compared to no daily dose of probiotics during antibiotic therapy will be beneficial.

Our intervention as the solution to our problem is the use of probiotics over no use of probiotics to stop or reduce the duration and frequency of diarrhea in patients taking antibiotics.

Probiotics can be found in various forms such as yogurt, tablets, and capsules in dietary supplements and as non-prescription drugs from pharmacies. Our intervention suggested implementing probiotics such as yogurt into the patient’s diet. Owen-Jones et al. (2018) highly suggests yogurt over most probiotics because of how easily digestible it is. It was shown that there was better evidence of using probiotics over not using probiotics to stop or reduce the duration and frequency of diarrhea.

In a clinical practice setting, we can use our intervention for resolving the clinical problem by making sure there are options in the patient’s food menu that incorporate probiotics as needed in the patient’s diet. As long as there are no other dietary restrictions, the patient is allowed to choose the food menu options for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. As nurses, we can assist our patients in choosing probiotic included meal options that will most benefit them. By having a diet that has something like yogurt readily available in a clinical setting, our patients will be able to reduce or stop the duration and frequency of their antibiotic-associated diarrhea.