Clostridioides difficile infection is documented with onset clearly after several hospital days, with no evidence of community onset at admission. Which POA assignment is appropriate?
Select an answer to reveal the explanation.
Short Explanation
Hospital-onset C. diff that lights up days into the stay gets POA N. Community-acquired would need signs it was already cooking at admission—timing in the record is the decider.
Full Explanation
POA for infections follows onset relative to admission. Documentation of hospital-onset C. difficile days after admission without community-onset evidence supports POA N. Infections are still coded when clinically significant. Default Y or W without clinical basis, or omitting reportable hospital-onset infections, is incorrect.