Improving Coccidioidomycosis Testing for Emergency Department Patients With Suspect Community-Acquired Pneumonia: Analysis of Provider Attitudes and the Effect of a Targeted Intervention

Cody A Cunningham; Ashlyn T Brown; Srekar N Ravi; Jeremiah J Bearss; Michael P O'Shea; Amani K Elshaer; Matt V Biondi; Bobak Seddighzadeh; Sandra N Elmasry; Amogh Havanur; Avanika Mahajan; Juliana Savic; Nneoma U Alozie; Douglas Rappaport; Andrej Urumov; Janis E Blair

doi:10.1093/ofid/ofae461

Improving Coccidioidomycosis Testing for Emergency Department Patients With Suspect Community-Acquired Pneumonia: Analysis of Provider Attitudes and the Effect of a Targeted Intervention

Open Forum Infect Dis. 2024 Aug 12;11(8):ofae461. doi: 10.1093/ofid/ofae461. eCollection 2024 Aug.

Authors

Cody A Cunningham¹, Ashlyn T Brown¹, Srekar N Ravi¹, Jeremiah J Bearss¹, Michael P O'Shea¹, Amani K Elshaer¹, Matt V Biondi¹, Bobak Seddighzadeh¹, Sandra N Elmasry¹, Amogh Havanur¹, Avanika Mahajan¹, Juliana Savic¹, Nneoma U Alozie¹, Douglas Rappaport², Andrej Urumov², Janis E Blair³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Internal Medicine, Mayo Clinic School of Graduate Medical Education, Scottsdale, Arizona, USA.
² Department of Emergency Medicine, Mayo Clinic Arizona, Phoenix, Arizona, USA.
³ Division of Infectious Disease, Mayo Clinic Arizona, Phoenix, Arizona, USA.

Abstract

Coccidioidomycosis is a common cause of community-acquired pneumonia in endemic regions. Approximately 20 000 cases of coccidioidomycosis occur annually; however, this statistic is limited by a widespread lack of testing. Here, we analyze emergency medicine provider attitudes toward coccidioidal testing and assess the effect of an intervention to improve testing rates.

Keywords: coccidioidal serologic testing; coccidioidomycosis; community acquired pneumonia; emergency department.