CDI
Abbreviation with 2 meanings
| Stands for | Clostridioides difficile infection |
|---|---|
| Meanings | 2 |
| Categories | Medical |
CDI has two meanings. It stands for Clostridioides difficile infection (infectious disease) or Clinical documentation improvement (medical documentation).
Meanings of CDI at a glance
| # | CDI stands for | Context |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Clostridioides difficile infection | Medical › Infectious Disease |
| 2 | Clinical documentation improvement | Medical › Medical Documentation |
1. Clostridioides difficile infection
Medical · Infectious Disease Abbreviations
Clinical and surveillance term for diarrhea or colitis with a positive C. difficile toxin or molecular test. IDSA guidelines favor fidaxomicin or oral vancomycin for initial episodes; recurrence follows in roughly one in five patients, and fecal microbiota therapies help prevent further relapses.
Example: Hospital-onset CDI day 6 after admission; reported to NHSN, review antibiotic exposure.
Testing should be limited to patients with three or more unformed stools in 24 hours who are not on laxatives, because colonization is common. "Test of cure" after treatment is not recommended. In documentation and coding CDI also means clinical documentation integrity, a hospital program unrelated to infection.
2. Clinical documentation improvement
Medical · Medical Documentation Abbreviations
Hospital program in which specialists review charts and query physicians so that documentation accurately reflects patient severity, diagnoses and complications. Better documentation affects coding, quality scores and reimbursement.
Example: CDI query: please clarify type of heart failure (acute on chronic systolic?).
Specialists are usually nurses or coders, with credentials such as CCDS from ACDIS or CDIP from AHIMA. Queries must be nonleading, offering clinically supported options. In infectious disease CDI means Clostridioides difficile infection, and in wound care C/D/I means clean, dry and intact.
Related abbreviations
More infectious disease abbreviations
- BCG – Bacillus Calmette-Guérin
- BSI – Bloodstream infection
- C. diff – Clostridioides difficile
- CD4 – Cluster of differentiation 4 (CD4 T-cell count)
- CMV – Cytomegalovirus
- COVID-19 – Coronavirus disease 2019
- CRAB – Carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii
- CRE – Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales
See all 92 infectious disease abbreviations →
More medical documentation abbreviations
- AVS – After-visit summary
- Bx – Biopsy
- CBE – Charting by exception
- CC – Chief complaint
- CPOE – Computerized provider order entry
- CTM – Continue to monitor
- Cx – Culture
- D/C – Discharge
See all 79 medical documentation abbreviations →
This entry is for general education and is not medical advice. Abbreviation use varies between institutions; always confirm in context.