Inpatient Protocols Can Up Flu Vax Rates

COVINGTON, KY. – Providers continue to rely on blood cultures to detect serious bacterial infections in children with bronchiolitis, even though urinary tract infections are the most common culprit, a chart review showed. “Even though there is outstanding evidence in the literature that cultures are unnecessary in the vast majority of infants with clinical bronchiolitis, this practice is common, has a cost, and false-positive results can result in prolonged length of stay and exposure to antibiotics that is unnecessary,” Dr. Brian Alverson said. Dr. Alverson of Hasbro Children’s Hospital in Providence, R.I., said the chart review supports other studies that show that the rate of UTI positivity is approximately the same as reported rates of benign transient bacteriuria in infants. Indeed, the incidence of UTI in the analysis was only 2.9% among patients who underwent urine testing, and the rates Variety of Payment Models May Replace SGR