Diagnostics

Goals and Objectives

rapid

Projects

2019: Procalcitonin - The Sepsis network completed a literature review and local assessment to determine that this test should not be sent out for resulting and is not recommended in sepsis care. (Procalcitonin (PCT) is a biomarker that is released in response to bacterial infections) 

  • Focus on molecular syndromic panels in order to optimize the role of these tests to detect infections in potentially septic patients

2021:  BCID2 - System-wide Decentralization of Blood Culture RDTs • System-wide implementation of BioFire Blood Culture ID 2 (BCID2) Education Materials

2022: CNS Panel: The diagnosis on meningitis or encephalitis (M/E) is challenging secondary to the many potential causative pathogens, often based on patient history of exposure, and the inability to detect these organisms in a timely manner. In 2022/23 the Subgroup has formed a working group of experts in neocritical care and infectious diseases in order to scope out the following ambitions with the aims to:

  1. Implement the BioFire ME Panel system-wide in combination with exposure-based order-sets to optimize diagnostic testing for pediatric and adult CNS infections.
  2. Review current literature on the BioFire ME to address limitations of the current panel with respect to detection of on-panel pathogens through lab-based protocols.
  3. Create risk-factor-specific order-sets (with additional tests outside the M/E Panel) to optimize ordering and limit unnecessary testing.
  4. Implement syndromic molecular testing for M/E pathogens in-house using the BioFire FilmArray Systems.
  5. Optimize use of all molecular and rapid tests used to diagnose M/E through diagnostic stewardship interventions that limit unnecessary testing in the setting of low pre-test probabilities (i.e. exposure or history-based order panels).

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