Routine infectious disease counseling should be standard for patients with SAB: 5 important findings

The introduction of routine delivered, consistent bedside infectious disease counseling following patient notification of positive blood culture is more effective than current IDC standards, according to a paper published in Clinical Microbiology and Infection.

Advertisement

Researchers from the U.K. reported the following differences in routine IDC compared to standard IDC patients.

• Shorter median time to receive an infectious disease consultation.
• Repeat blood culture was taken more frequently.
• A removable focus of infection was more frequently identified.
• Echocardiography was performed more frequently.
• Combination antibiotic therapy was prescribed more frequently and for longer courses.

These differences resulted in a trend towards 10 percent lower mortality — 12 percent compared to 22 percent — than the standard IDC group.

More articles about infection control:

What causes hand hygiene noncompliance? 24 issues
10 states hit hardest by Medicare infection fines
ECRI Institute: 10 patient safety concerns for healthcare organizations

Advertisement

Next Up in Clinical Leadership & Infection Control

  • Here are five hospitals that recently posted job listings seeking CEOs. The openings come as health system C-suites continue to…

  • Respiratory virus season is in full gear, with flu admissions rising quickly in recent weeks, according to the latest national…

Advertisement

Comments are closed.