Impact of rapid diagnostic testing for chlamydia and gonorrhea on appropriate antimicrobial utilization in the emergency department

Prolonged turnaround time of Neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG) and Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) test results may delay time to notification and treatment of test-positive patients and result in unnecessary antimicrobial use in test-negative patients. This quasi‐experimental study evaluated the impact of NG/CT rapid diagnostic testing (RDT) in an urban emergency department (ED) on treatment appropriateness, time to notification, and cost. Patients tested in December 2013-January 2014 (traditional group, n = 200) were compared with those in December 2014-January 2015 (RDT group, n = 200). There was a significant increase in treatment appropriateness in the RDT group, 72.5% versus 60% (P = 0.008) and time to results notification was significantly faster (median 17.4 versus 51.5 hours, P = 0.010). Availability of test result prior to discharge was associated with increased treatment appropriateness (odds ratio, 22.65 [95% confidence interval, 2.86-179.68]). The RDT would save approximately $37,000 annually. These results support the use of NG/CT RDT to expand antimicrobial stewardship efforts within the ED.