Table 1.
Characteristics of patients with GI panel orders in study period a
| Characteristic | Total N = 228 |
Pre-CDS N = 136 |
Post-CDS N = 92 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gender, male, n (%) | 182 (80.2) | 111 (82.2) | 71 (77.2) |
| Age, years | |||
| Mean (SD) | 60.2 (15.1) | 61.6 (14.8) | 58.0 (15.4) |
| Ordering site, n (%) | |||
| Outpatient | 118 (51.8) | 68 (50.0) | 50 (54.4) |
| Inpatient | 69 (30.3) | 38 (27.9) | 31 (33.7) |
| Emergency department | 18 (7.9) | 11 (8.1) | 7 (7.6) |
| Residential b | 23 (10.1) | 19 (14.0) | 4 (4.4) |
| Pathogens identified, n (%) | 47 (20.6) | 24 (17.7) | 23 (25) |
| Campylobacter (jejuni, coli, upsalensis) | 9 (17.3) | 4 (16.7) | 5 (17.9) |
| C. difficile | 20 (38.5) | 9 (37.5) | 11 (39.3) |
| Salmonella | 1 (1.9) | 1 (4.2) | 0 |
| Yersinia enterocolitica | 2 (3.8) | 0 | 2 (7.1) |
| Shigella/Enteroinvasive E. coli (EIEC) | 1 (1.9) | 0 | 1 (3.6) |
| Enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC) | 5 (9.6) | 3 (12.5) | 2 (7.1) |
| Norovirus | 12 (23.1) | 7 (29.2) | 5 (17.9) |
| Entamoeba histolytica | 1 (1.9) | 0 | 1 (3.6) |
| Giardia lamblia | 1 (1.9) | 0 | 1 (3.6) |
| Outcome measures, n (%) | |||
| Hospital LOS in days c , mean (SD) | 8.8 (14.0) | 8.2 (12.1) | 9.5 (16.1) |
| Outcome of hospitalization – mortality c | 1 (1.4) | 0 | 1 (3.2) |
| Patients receiving unnecessary antibiotic treatment | 2 (0.9) | 2 (1.5) | 0 |
a
All p-values for comparison of Pre-CDS group and Post-CDS group characteristics were non-significant (p > .05), using Chi-Square for categorical characteristics and one-way ANOVA for age and hospital LOS.
b
Includes patients in community living centers, residential treatment or recovery programs.
c
Among inpatients only (excludes residential, outpatient, and emergency department); total n = 69, pre-CDS n = 38, post-CDS n = 31.