Publications
Department of Medicine faculty members published more than 3,000 peer-reviewed articles in 2022.
2019
Assessment of Patient Use of a New Approach to Access Health Record Data Among 12 US Health Systems.
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BACKGROUND
In 2012, the California Department of Public Health began using pyrosequencing (PSQ) to detect mutations associated with resistance to isoniazid, rifampin, quinolones and injectable drugs in Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex. We evaluated the impact of the PSQ assay on the clinical management of tuberculosis (TB) in California.
METHODS
TB surveillance and laboratory data for specimens submitted 1 August 2012 through 31 December 2016 were analyzed to determine time to effective treatment initiation. A survey of clinicians was used to assess how PSQ results influenced clinical decision making.
RESULTS
Of 1957 specimens tested with PSQ, 52% were sediments and 46% were culture isolates, submitted a median of 8 and 35 days, respectively, after collection. Among 36 patients with multidrug-resistant (MDR) TB who had a sediment specimen submitted for PSQ, median time from specimen collection to MDR-TB treatment initiation was 12 days vs 51 days when PSQ was not used. Completed surveys were returned for 303 patients, 177 of whom reported a treatment change; 75 (42%) of clinicians reported PSQ as a reason for change. Twenty-one patients either had an MDR-TB risk factor and a smear-positive sputum specimen, but had PSQ performed on a culture isolate (9/36 [25%]); or did not have PSQ used for MDR-TB diagnosis (12/38 [32%]) and thus had an opportunity for earlier MDR-TB diagnosis with PSQ on sediment.
CONCLUSIONS
Patients with MDR-TB initiated effective treatment 5 weeks earlier when PSQ was used compared to those without PSQ. Survey data suggest clinicians use PSQ to devise effective TB drug regimens. To maximize the benefit of PSQ, earlier submission of specimens should be prioritized.
View on PubMed2019
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