Infectious disease experts offer laboratory testing guide

摘要

Because laboratory testing is often important for accurate diagnosis and proper treatment of infections, inappropriate tests or problems with procedures may result in misdiagnoses, unnecessary treatment, and higher health care costs. To address this issue, the Infectious Diseases Society of America and the American Society for Microbiology have published a guide intended to minimize the problems that can arise around laboratory testing for infectious diseases (http://bit.ly/13AWpGy). Up to 70% of physicians' diagnoses and treatment decisions are based on laboratory test results, according to the societies. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that in 2010, approximately 1 in 38 visits to a physician's office, or just more than 27 million visits, was for the primary diagnosis of infectious and parasitic diseases. But identifying a suspected infectious agent in various settings, from primary and specialty care practices to emergency departments and hospital wards, can be difficult, especially for physicians who are not formally trained in infectious diseases. Ellen Jo Baron, PhD, lead author of the guide and professor emeritus at the Stanford School of Medicine in Stanford, California, said her microbiologistcolleaguestoldherthe guide is "badly needed." The new guide is not actually intended for infectious disease specialists, because by virtue of theirtraining, they should be knowledgeable about diagnosing infections, said Baron, who now works at Cepheid, a California moleculardiagnosticscompany. "It is for other types of physicians who don't have the time or interest to keep up with the most recent changes in diagnostics, such as new tests coming up, and changes in howsamples. and theamount of samples, are to be collected. So this puts all that [information] in one place, based on opinions of experts." Baron added that the guide will be made available through apps so physicians can get the information on their smartphones or other electronic devices. Laminated cards containing key elements of the guide will also be produced for use in appropriate clinical settings where testing for certain infectious diseases may occur.