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Infectious Disease Diagnosis: New Guideline on Lab Tests
Laurie Barclay,
MD
Jul 15, 2013
Microbiological diagnoses based on laboratory testing
directly affect patient care and outcomes, including hospital infection
control, duration of hospitalization, and laboratory efficiency, according to
new guidelines from the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) and the
American Society for Microbiology.
The new recommendations, which address appropriate and
accurate use of laboratory tests to diagnose infectious diseases (IDs), were published online July 10 in Clinical Infectious Diseases
by Ellen Jo Baron, PhD, from the Department of Pathology, Stanford University
School of Medicine, and Cepheid, R&D, Sunnyvale, California, and
colleagues.
Because laboratory testing underlies approximately 60% to
70% of diagnoses and treatment decisions, inappropriate or poorly performed
tests may result in wrong diagnoses, unnecessary treatment, and higher costs.
The guideline aims to educate physicians and laboratory technicians about use
of specific tests in various settings, identification of tests adding little or
no value, and proper techniques of specimen collection and handling. It is not
intended to replace clinical judgment but, rather, to support individualized
decision-making.
Organized for Easy Use
This guideline is a departure from the usual approach,
according to IDSA board member Paul G. Auwaerter, MD, MBA, clinical director
and professor of medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases and Division of General
Internal Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore,
Maryland.
"This will be a living document regularly updated so
that clinicians have a concise reference to best testing strategy for
IDs," Dr. Auwaerter told Medscape Medical News. "In the past,
a clinician would have to look into many different references; for example, to
understand how to test for pulmonary infection with the differential diagnosis
including tuberculosis, histoplasmosis, [and] cryptococcosis, would likely require
the individual to look at 3 different pathogen sections. Now all diagnostic
recommendations are under one roof."
The guidelines include recommendations for specific anatomic
sites and systems, including blood, cardiovascular, central nervous system, ocular,
head and neck soft tissue, upper and lower respiratory, gastrointestinal,
intraabdominal, bone and joints, skin and soft tissue, and urogenital systems.
Furthermore, the guidelines address what tests to request when specific
pathogens are suspected, including tickborne rickettsial infections, viruses,
and parasitic infections.
"My belief is that if information can be easily
navigated, then clinicians will be more apt to look up information," Dr.
Auwaerter added. "These guidelines should offer an excellent approach for
quickly looking up information as test ordering is needed...in a busy office or
hospital setting."
Each of the system and pathogen sections specifies the most
reliable tests to order, specimen management techniques, and issues regarding test
methods, including specialized laboratory requirement or prolonged turnaround
time.
Those involved in specimen management, including nurses,
physicians, and laboratory staff, should use appropriate collection devices,
obtain sufficient specimen volume, maintain proper specimen temperature, and
transport the specimen within an ideal time frame.
Clinical Implications
"The diagnostic microbiology/virology laboratory is as
critically important to the ID physician as an high-quality X-ray is to the
radiologist," Lucy S. Tompkins, MD, PhD, professor of medicine,
microbiology and immunology at Stanford University School of Medicine, told Medscape
Medical News. "The quality of the laboratory services must be
excellent in order for the ID physician and other physicians to have confidence
that the results will lead to an accurate diagnosis or treatment,"
continued Dr. Tompkins, who was not involved in the work.
"The likely implications for patients if these
guidelines were adopted would certainly be to improve outcomes through rapid,
accurate diagnostic techniques, standardized susceptibility testing of
antimicrobials, and as a critically important partner to the infection
prevention department and the antibiotic utilization program," said Dr.
Tompkins, who is also Hospital Epidemiologist and Medical Director, Infection
Prevention and Control Department of Stanford Hospital and clinics.
"Local, state, and governmental public health are also dependent upon
laboratories for surveillance and to identify trends in emerging IDs."
"I would urge all physicians to 'know your laboratory'
and to select one that adopts validated protocols, provides accurate and
helpful interpretations of results, provides reasonably rapid turnaround times,
and is certified by appropriate agencies," Dr. Tompkins said. "It is
also important to know where the laboratory may send tests that are not
performed in-house. A high-quality laboratory should have an experienced and
well-trained director who has expertise in diagnostic testing as well as in
clinical IDs.
Specific Principles of Specimen Management
- To avoid compromising test results, specimens of poor
quality must be rejected. Microbiologists should call physicians to
clarify and resolve problems with specimen submissions.
- Physicians should not request a report of
"everything that grows," as irrelevant information could lead to
inaccurate diagnosis and inappropriate therapy.
- Careful collection is essential to avoid specimen
contamination from normal microbiota, especially for specimens from the
lower respiratory tract, nasal sinuses, superficial wounds, fistulae, and
similar sites.
- A specimen swab may contain insufficient material to
ensure accurate diagnosis and is easily contaminated. An entire tissue,
aspirate, or fluid specimen is needed. Flocked swabs are more efficient
than polyethylene terephthalate, rayon, and cotton.
- Legal challenges could arise if the laboratory does not
follow its procedure manual.
- Specimens should be collected before starting
antibiotics to avoid compromising culture results.
- Susceptibility testing should be limited to clinically
significant isolates.
- Laboratory test results should be accurate,
significant, and clinically relevant.
- Although technical policy is the responsibility of the
laboratory, not the medical staff, good communication and mutual respect
foster collaborative policies.
- Complete and accurate specimen labelling is required
(eg, dog bite wound, right forefinger).
Several of the guidelines authors reported various financial
disclosures with manufacturers of diagnostic testing. Full conflict-of-interest
information is available on the journal's Web site. Dr. Tompkins and Dr. Auwaerter have disclosed no
relevant financial relationships.
Clin Infect Dis.
Published online July 10, 2013. Full text
Medscape
Medical News © 2013 WebMD, LLC
Cite this article: Infectious
Disease Diagnosis: New Guideline on Lab Tests. Medscape. Jul 15, 2013
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