Clinicians often face the challenge of making a definitive diagnosis based solely on patient history and physical examination. To augment these approaches, clinicians often turn to low-plex and single target tests, which can help guide more precise patient management. But for complex patients – those with comorbidities, severe illness, compromised immune systems, at high risk of serious outcomes without treatment or on the cusp of receiving antibiotic treatment – the need for accurate pathogen identification is critical. Pinpointing the specific viruses or bacteria involved enables timely and effective treatment and isolation measures, helping patients return to their daily lives sooner. However, low-plex tests may fail to detect all relevant pathogens, potentially delaying treatment and worsening patient outcomes.

Join us for this presentation as we explore the advantages of comprehensive “syndromic” PCR-based testing over traditional low-plex testing for patients with respiratory symptoms. We’ll discuss the importance of patient profiling to enhance diagnostic stewardship in respiratory disease testing, which emphasizes the principle of "the right test, for the right patient, at the right time."

Additionally, this presentation will address antimicrobial stewardship in respiratory disease, focusing on selecting the proper antibiotic class, dose and duration in response to positive bacterial test results. We will also discuss strategies to combat antimicrobial resistance, a concern recognized by leading experts as a global health emergency.