Diagnostic Stewardship for Healthcare-Associated Infections

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diagnostic-stewardship-for-healthcare-associated-infections

Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) are associated with increased morbidity and mortality, prolonged hospital stays, and unnecessary cost. The financial stakes of HAIs for hospitals were underscored in 2008 when the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) began to withhold payment for certain “reasonably preventable” HAIs, including catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs), central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs), and surgical site infections (SSIs). Clinicians are faced with increasingly complex medical problems and varying test sensitivity and specificity that usually are not apparent to those ordering tests. Thus, understanding how to limit false positives without restricting appropriate testing has become a major challenge as well as an important opportunity for improving hospital infection control, infection prevention, and patient safety.

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