Provider Characteristics Associated with Ordering Meningitis/Encephalitis Panel for Young Febrile Infants

Background: The BioFire® FilmArray Meningitis/Encephalitis Panel (MEP) provides a one-hour turnaround time for detection of 14 common viral and bacterial pathogens in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). This test became available at our institution in July 2017. Purpose: To investigate differences in provider characteristics in use of the new MEP test for evaluation of febrile infants 60 days and younger. Methods: Retrospective review of the electronic medical record of pediatric emergency department (ED) encounters from July 2017 to April 2019 at a pediatric tertiary care …