A Quality Improvement Initiative to Reduce Duplicate Inflammatory Marker Use.

Introduction: Inflammatory markers (IMs) are often ordered in multiples, even though evidence suggests that this does not add any clinical benefit. The project aimed to reduce the number of duplicate IMs for patients by 10% in 12 months.

Methods: We implemented a quality improvement (QI) project at our hospital, focusing on patients admitted to the pediatric hospital medicine service.

Hospital Variations and Temporal Trends in Procalcitonin Use for Patients With Bronchiolitis.

Background And Objective: The financial burden of bronchiolitis-related hospitalizations in the United States surpasses $700 million annually. Procalcitonin (PCT) has garnered recent interest in pediatrics and has demonstrated the potential to decrease antibiotic usage in other illnesses. This study assessed PCT utilization trends in bronchiolitis, hypothesizing an annual increase in PCT testing.