Influenza Other Respir Viruses . Costs of a clinical pathway with point-of-care testing during influenza epidemic in a Dutch hospital

[tetano]

Influenza Other Respir Viruses


. 2020 Oct 12.
doi: 10.1111/irv.12808. Online ahead of print.
Costs of a clinical pathway with point-of-care testing during influenza epidemic in a Dutch hospital


Sierk D Marbus ¹ , Suzanne P M Lutgens ² , Arianne B van Gageldonk-Lafeber ¹ , Eric H L C M Hazenberg ² , Mirjam H A Hermans ² , Anita W M Suijkerbuijk ¹



Affiliations

• PMID: 33047471
• DOI: 10.1111/irv.12808

Abstract

Our study aim was to determine how a new clinical pathway, including PCR-based influenza point-of-care test (POCT), influences the hospitalisation costs of patients suspected of influenza presenting at the emergency department of a Dutch hospital during two consecutive influenza epidemics (2016-2017 and 2017-2018). Compared to mean costs per patient of €3661 in 2016-2017, the implementation of this new clinical pathway with influenza POCT in 2017 was associated with mean costs per influenza-positive patient of €2495 in 2017-2018 (P = .3). Our study suggests favourable economic results regarding a new clinical pathway with influenza POCT, reflecting a more efficient care of patients suspected of influenza presenting at the emergency department.

Keywords: clinical pathway; hospitalisation costs; influenza; point-of-care testing.