BARRIE - Using a new, rapid molecular diagnostic test that can simultaneously detect 14 different bacteria, viruses, and fungi most commonly associated with meningitis and encephalitis, Nellie Bradbury, Charge Technologist in the RVH Microbiology Laboratory, and Dr. Giulio Didiodato, RVH Intensivist and Chief Research Scientist, found that the technology reduced laboratory reporting times from days to just one hour.

 

As a result of the reduced wait, they observed a significant reduction in the length of hospital stay for suspected meningitis and encephalitis cases by 1.5 days, with an average healthcare savings of $2,319 per patient, even after accounting for the costs of the test. 

 

This valuable study has resulted in practice change for RVH’s microbiology team and was recently published in the peer-reviewed scientific journal Open Forum in Infectious Diseases (https://doi.org/10.1093/ofid/ofz119).