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.
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