Accelerated Bacterial Identification with MALDI-TOF MS Leads to Fewer Diagnostic Tests and Cost Savings
Introduction: Rapid microbiology reporting can enhance both clinical and economic outcomes. Material and Methods: This three-year, quasi-experimental study, single-group pretest–posttest study, conducted at a university medical center, aimed to evaluate the clinical and economic impact of rapid micr...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2024-12-01
|
| Series: | Antibiotics |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2079-6382/13/12/1163 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| Summary: | Introduction: Rapid microbiology reporting can enhance both clinical and economic outcomes. Material and Methods: This three-year, quasi-experimental study, single-group pretest–posttest study, conducted at a university medical center, aimed to evaluate the clinical and economic impact of rapid microbiological identification reporting using MALDI-TOF MS. A total of 363 consecutive hospitalized patients with bacterial infections were evaluated, comparing a historical control group (CG, n = 183) with an intervention group (IG, <i>n</i> = 180). In the CG, microbiological information (bacterial identification and antibiotic susceptibility) was provided between 18:00 and 22:00 h, while in the IG, bacterial identification was reported between 12:00 and 14:00 h, and antibiotic susceptibility was reported between 18:00 and 22:00 h. Results: The IG demonstrated a significant reduction in the number of patients undergoing Microbiology (<i>p</i> = 0.01), Biochemistry (<i>p</i> = 0.05), C-Reactive Protein (<i>p</i> = 0.02), Radiological Tests (<i>p</i> = 0.05), Computed Tomography Tests (<i>p</i> = 0.04), and Pathology (<i>p</i> = 0.01). However, no statistically significant reduction was observed in economic costs related to microbiological testing (<i>p</i> = 0.76) or antibiotic consumption (<i>p</i> = 0.59). The timely reporting of microbiological identification to clinicians resulted in fewer patients undergoing additional diagnostic tests, ultimately contributing to reduced healthcare resource utilization without adversely affecting clinical outcomes. |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 2079-6382 |