A Portuguese healthcare economic model examined the potential impact of FASTINOV’s ultra-rapid antimicrobial susceptibility testing compared with standard and rapid AST pathways. The analysis reported reductions in mortality, hospital stay and cost in the modelled scenarios.
Looking beyond laboratory turnaround time
Economic models connect diagnostic timing with downstream clinical and hospital outcomes. By considering treatment decisions, length of stay and resource use, the study explored how faster susceptibility information could affect the wider care pathway.
How to interpret the findings
The results are model-based estimates rather than a direct measurement of outcomes in every hospital. Their value is to provide a framework for understanding the potential system-level consequences of earlier AST information and for identifying questions that can be tested in clinical practice.
The study suggested that ultra-rapid AST may offer clinical and economic benefits when faster information changes the pathway of care.