The Clinical Impact of Automated Susceptibility Reporting Using a Computer Interface

Abstract

Mechanisms to improve patient care are presently evolving in the clinical laboratory in the areas of rapid testing and computerized reporting of laboratory results. The clinical impact of computerized reports and specifically antimicrobial susceptibility results can also be viewed in terms of their economic impact which is a primary concern for hospitals today with the prospective reimbursement issues of diagnostic related groups (DRG’s). The financial restrictions have generated administrative pressures to provide efficient patient care while limiting the use of hospital resources. Thus, mechanisms that allow a physician to make an earlier clinical decision regarding patient care will contribute to reducing the patient’s length-of-stay (LOS) thereby benefiting the patient as well as the hospital. The role of the laboratory towards reducing LOS has traditionally been to provide accurate results with as rapid a turnaround time (TAT) as possible.