AI-Based Treatment Recommendations Enhance Speed and Accuracy in Bacteremia Management: A Comparative Study of Molecular and Phenotypic Data.

BACKGROUND

Bloodstream infections continue to pose a serious global health threat due to their high morbidity and mortality, further worsened by rising antimicrobial resistance and delays in starting targeted therapy. This study assesses the accuracy and timeliness of therapeutic recommendations produced by an artificial intelligence (AI)-driven and machine-learning (ML) clinical decision support system (CDSS), comparing results based on molecular diagnostics alone with those that combine molecular and phenotypic data (standard cultures).

METHODS

In a prospective cross-sectional study conducted in Lima, Peru, 117 blood cultures were analyzed using FilmArray/GeneXpert for molecular identification and MALDI-TOF/VITEK 2.0 for phenotypic profiling. The AI/ML-based CDSS provided treatment recommendations in two formats, which were assessed for concordance and turnaround time.

RESULTS

Therapeutic recommendations showed 80.3% consistency between data types, with 86.3% concordance in pathogen and resistance detection. Notably, molecular-only recommendations were delivered 29 h earlier than those incorporating phenotypic data. Escherichia coli was the most frequently isolated pathogen, with a 95% concordance in suggested therapy. A substantial agreement was observed in treatment consistency (Kappa = 0.80).

CONCLUSIONS

These findings highlight the potential of using AI-powered CDSS in conjunction with molecular diagnostics to accelerate clinical decision-making in bacteremia, supporting more timely interventions and improved antimicrobial stewardship. Further research is warranted to assess scalability and impact across diverse clinical settings.