Molecular testing facilitates faster discontinuation of respiratory isolation for individuals undergoing evaluation for active tuberculosis (TB) in U.S. hospitals, according to a study published Aug. 27 in JAMA Internal Medicine. Incorporation of sputum molecular testing is not only safe and feasible in real-world clinical care, but it yields substantial patient, clinical, and economic benefits. “These measures of impact place rapid molecular testing for TB among a select group of interventions that have been shown to advance the ‘quadruple aim’: improved population health, a better patient experience, a better clinician experience, and lower costs,” write the authors led by Lelia Chaisson, from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Md. Infection control measures are intended to prevent in-hospital transmission of TB, but can lead to prolonged stays in isolation rooms due to the time it takes to run conventional rapid diagnostic testing for TB, with serial sputum collection for microscopic examination taking two or more days. Despite this considerable burden on patients, clinicians, and hospitals, and national recommendations, molecular testing has not been widely adopted as a replacement to sputum-smear microscopy to guide discontinuation of respiratory isolation. The current study evaluated implementation of rapid, molecular testing at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and […]