Decrease in SinglePlex Viral PCRs Use and acyclovir utilization following implementation of The BioFire Meningitis/Encephalitis Panel at A Tertiary Care Cancer Center.

PURPOSE

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.

METHODS

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.

RESULTS

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 ( < 0.0274).

CONCLUSION

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.