Costs of a clinical pathway with point-of-care testing during influenza epidemic in a Dutch hospital

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

doi:10.1111/irv.12808

Costs of a clinical pathway with point-of-care testing during influenza epidemic in a Dutch hospital

Influenza Other Respir Viruses. 2021 Mar;15(2):202-205. doi: 10.1111/irv.12808. Epub 2020 Oct 12.

Authors

Sierk D Marbus¹, Suzanne P M Lutgens², Arianne B van Gageldonk-Lafeber¹, Eric H L C M Hazenberg², Mirjam H A Hermans², Anita W M Suijkerbuijk¹

Affiliations

¹ National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, Bilthoven, The Netherlands.
² Jeroen Bosch Hospital, 's-Hertogenbosch, The Netherlands.

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.

MeSH terms

Critical Pathways
Emergency Service, Hospital
Epidemics*
Hospitals
Humans
Influenza, Human* / diagnosis
Influenza, Human* / epidemiology
Point-of-Care Systems
Point-of-Care Testing