Anti-NMDAR Encephalitis Clinical Practice Guideline: Improving Time to Diagnosis, Treatment, and Hospital Length of Stay.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: A clinical practice guideline (CPG) was created to standardize evaluation and treatment for patients with suspected anti-methyl-d-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) autoimmune encephalitis (AE), the most common AE in children. The objective of this study was to evaluate the CPG effect on time to diagnosis, treatment, and hospital length of stay (LOS).

METHODS: Patients with an inpatient consult to pediatric rheumatology for AE during a 4-year period (period 2) after CPG implementation were identified. Data were extracted and compared with data over the preceding 4-year period (period 1).

RESULTS: During period 1, fewer patients underwent diagnostic testing than during period 2 (34 vs 80). Number of patients diagnosed with AE did not differ from period 1 to that from period 2 (NMDAR AE 9 vs 8; seronegative AE 4 vs 5). The average time to diagnostic evaluation with lumbar puncture decreased from 5.4 to 1.5 days ( p = 0.0082), and time to treatment decreased from 7.6 to 3.9 days ( p = 0.018). LOS showed a trend toward improvement (40.4-29.2 days ( p = 0.23)).

DISCUSSION: Creation of a CPG for patients with suspected AE was associated with an improved time to diagnostic evaluation and treatment. With the CPG, more patients underwent AE testing, though total diagnoses remained the same.