By Jenna Philpott, BScReviewed by Lily Ramsey, LLM Understanding syndromic infectious disease testingBeyond diagnosis: guiding antibiotic stewardship The demand for swift and accurate diagnosis of infectious diseases stands as a paramount challenge. Syndromic infectious disease testing is a novel approach that focuses on identifying the cause of an illness by examining a range of clinical symptoms, or syndromes, instead of individually isolating specific pathogens.
Infectious diseases caused by contagious pathogens have the potential to spread rapidly within communities and hospitals. Syndromic testing can reduce disease transmission, as healthcare facilities can quickly identify infected individuals, isolate them, and control the infection. Both of these diseases can be diagnosed quickly with syndromic testing, enabling healthcare providers to administer antiviral treatment and set precautions to prevent the spread of the virus in healthcare settings.
Healthcare facilities have been increasingly adopting antimicrobial stewardship, meaning they're taking steps to become more cautious and strategic. Despite this, diagnostic stewardship is still relatively new and being established.