3826 26.8% 27% 1.0 25.3% 27.3% 0.6322 CT/MRI Computed tomography/magnetic resonance click here imaging, ICU intensive

care unit, POCT point of care test, SD standard deviation, USS ultrasound scan Acceptability and Qualitative Feedback from Operators A user questionnaire was completed by 85 staff members in two phases (40 in phase one and 45 in phase two, following the introduction of the new GeneXpert® cartridges). Staff were permitted to participate in both phases. Sixty-six respondents (78%) were older persons’ staff and 19 (22%) were ICU staff. All ICU staff in both rounds agreed that the test was easy to perform, compared with 76% of older persons’ staff. The proportion of older persons’ staff who agreed with this comment was no different in either phase of the questionnaire. All ICU respondents and 88% of older persons’ respondents agreed that POCT results were available faster than laboratory testing. Seventy-six LY2090314 datasheet percent of ICU respondents liked being able to perform the test themselves and 94% felt it was an acceptable part of their role. This compares with 86% and 80%, respectively, in older persons’ respondents. 95% of ICU respondents and 86% of older persons’ respondents thought that the test had helped them to manage beds more effectively (Fig. 2). Fig. 2 Acceptability and ease of use. A total of 66 older persons’ staff

and 19 ICU laboratory technicians completed a user questionnaire, asking the level of agreement or disagreement with five statements based on selleck screening library a scale of 1 (completely agree) to 5 (completely disagree). The questions were as follows: (1) the POCT is easy to perform, (2) results from the POCT are available faster than the laboratory-based test, (3) I like being able to perform the POCT myself, (4) performing the POCT is an acceptable part of my role, (5) the POCT results have allowed better management of beds. ICU Intensive care unit, POCT point-of-care test Discussion Diarrhea and CDI are

major infection control challenges for hospitals and clinicians must decide on the most efficient use of scarce resources. Laboratory-based testing for C. difficile is sometimes Bupivacaine slow but POCT could provide a faster result. The data show that use of this POCT system is feasible in both the older persons’ wards and the ICUs studied. However, more problems were encountered in the older persons’ wards (more discrepant results and more processing errors). Although most older persons’ staff reported that the test was easy to perform, this staff group are unfamiliar with carrying out this type of procedure. The ICU technicians were much more familiar with basic laboratory processes and this may account for the lower number of discrepant results and processing errors. The number of errors did not appear to decrease after the introduction of the updated GeneXpert® cartridge. The six discrepant samples raise the possibility of contamination during assay preparation; all had relatively high Ct values.