Cost Consequences for the NHS of Using a Two-Step Testing Method for the Detection of Clostridium difficile with a Point of Care, Polymerase Chain Reaction Test as the First Step

The two-step, POCT strategy was estimated to save £ 283,282 per 1000 hospitalized NHS patients with suspected infectious diarrhoea. Sensitivity analysis indicated that the turnaround time for the POCT was the largest driver for cost savings. Providing the POCT has sufficiently high diagnostic accuracy for detecting C. difficile, the two-step, POCT strategy for CDI identification is likely to be cost saving for NHS hospitals with an offsite laboratory.
Source: Current Awareness Service for Health (CASH) - Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news