Fast diagnostics could improves patient outcomes and save billions in healthcare costs if used systematically to identify sepsis in hospitalized adults at risk due to bloodstream infections, according to an independent report.
The research encompassing all G7 countries revealed multiple benefits from earlier intervention for time-critical infections through the extensive application of fast identification and antimicrobial susceptibility testing (Fast ID/AST).
The Value of Fast Diagnostics in Time-critical Infections report by the independent Office of Health Economics showed how systematic use of fast diagnostics would lead to far fewer sepsis-related deaths and significantly decrease long-term post-sepsis complications, thereby improving patients’ quality of life.
The multi-country economic evaluation, commissioned and funded by bioMérieux, also showed major savings in healthcare costs each year, with the magnitude dependent on country size, incidence, and cost structures.
“While the magnitude varies by country, the direction is consistent: the model demonstrates that early diagnostics reduce the likelihood that high-risk patients progress to sepsis,” said Julien Textoris, PhD, vice president of EMEA medical affairs at bioMérieux.
“Preventing cases of sepsis could therefore reduce the risk of long-term complications after hospital discharge, including recurrent infections, cognitive decline, psychological effects, and organ-specific complications.”
Sepsis is a life-threatening reaction to an infection responsible for 21 million deaths worldwide each year. The initial hours of management are crucial, with targeted antibiotic treatment a key predictor of survival.
However, conventional methods for diagnosis takes at least a couple of days deliver results and nearly one in five bloodstream infection patients receive an inappropriate initial treatment.
In a model-based health economic analysis, Shaheer Hassan and co-workers at the OHE examined what would happen if fast ID/AST were systematically used early in the care pathway before clinical deterioration occurs.
The study encompassed Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the U.S. and used expert-validated clinical inputs, country-specific cost data, and conservative assumptions.
Results revealed consistent cost savings regardless of the structure or financing of the healthcare system.
More than half of all savings—between 53% and 83%—would occur during the initial hospitalization, when the clinical and economic consequences of deterioration are most evident.
This is because early diagnostic information would prevent the chances of patients progressing into one of the most resource intensive stages of sepsis care.
The savings per patient ranged from €500 in Canada to €3,800 in Japan. This was primarily driven by fewer admissions to the intensive care unit, shorter hospital stays, and educed management of severe complications.
Annual national savings ranged from €26 million in Canada to €2.5 billion in the U.S. and reflected both cost savings in the acute phase and from reduced long-term complications.
“To realize these benefits, hospitals must address structural and workflow barriers so fast results translate into faster therapy, alongside broader system reforms to correct the persistent undervaluation of diagnostics,” the report maintained.
“Overcoming the underutilization and undervaluation of diagnostics will require coordinated system-level action, with the G7 countries included in this analysis well-positioned to lead.”
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