Decrease in SinglePlex Viral PCRs Use and acyclovir utilization following implementation of The BioFire...

Meningitis and encephalitis are medical emergencies requiring prompt intervention. The BioFire Meningitis/Encephalitis (M/E) panel (BioFire^® Diagnostics, Salt Lake City, UT) is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the detection of 14 pathogens directly on cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Impact of the M/E panel on antiviral and viral tests use has been evaluated in a several patient populations but data in cancer patients remain limited. In this study, we evaluated the impact of the M/E panel within a year of its implementation on both acyclovir and singleplex viral PCR test utilization in a cancer patient population.

This was a pre- and post-intervention study. Data from patients tested in the year prior to the intervention and one year following the intervention were extracted from the laboratory and clinical information systems.

A total of 476 patients (207 pre-intervention and 269 post-intervention) were tested during the study period. In the post-intervention period, the number of targeted viral tests was reduced by 64.9 % (703 to 247 PCRs), and the total number of patients treated with acyclovir was reduced by 29.1 % (82 patients vs 45 patients) with a reduction in the duration of therapy from 7.33 days to 4.47 days in the post-intervention period (p < 0.0274).

The implementation of the M/E panel contributed to a reduction in the number of singleplex PCR tests performed and a reduction in the utilization and duration of acyclovir therapy in our cancer patient population.