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...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Uzuriaga, Miriam, Guillén Grima, Francisco, Rua, Marta, Leiva, José, Yuste, José R.
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2024
País:España
Institución:Universidad Pública de Navarra
Repositorio:Academica-e. Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad Pública de Navarra
OAI Identifier:oai:academica-e.unavarra.es:2454/53621
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/2454/53621
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Clinical impact
Economic impact
Fast information
Diagnostics
MALDI-TOF MS
Costs
Descripción
Sumario: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, n = 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 (p = 0.01), Biochemistry (p = 0.05), C-Reactive Protein (p = 0.02), Radiological Tests (p = 0.05), Computed Tomography Tests (p = 0.04), and Pathology (p = 0.01). However, no statistically significant reduction was observed in economic costs related to microbiological testing (p = 0.76) or antibiotic consumption (p = 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.