Universität zu Köln

Thelen, Philipp, Hornberg, Kirsten and Hamprecht, Axel ORCID: 0000-0003-1449-5780 (2018). Efficient processing of MRSA screening specimens by a modified inoculation protocol. Eur. J. Clin. Microbiol. Infect. Dis., 37 (10). S. 1857 - 1862. NEW YORK: SPRINGER. ISSN 1435-4373

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Abstract

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a major cause of healthcare-associated infections and mortality, and therefore constitutes a serious cost factor in public health. Culture-based MRSA screening is a crucial part of MRSA-infection prevention and control strategies in the hospital setting. Manual inoculation of screening swabs onto culture plates still constitutes the major part of the technicians' workload in laboratories. We present a modified inoculation protocol that comprises direct inoculation of specimen onto a chromogenic MRSA-selective agar plate without further streaking for isolation. This study aims to evaluate the impact of this inoculation protocol on technicians' workload and the downstream workflow in our laboratory. Batches of 50 specimens were processed by different technicians and the hands-on time was compared between the standard and modified inoculation protocol. To assess the impact on downstream processing, a retrospective analysis of the rate of subcultures and turnaround time (TAT) of specimens yielding putative MRSA colonies from 9 months before (n = 1548) and after (n = 1267) the protocol change was carried out based on laboratory information system (LIS) data. The implementation of the modified protocol significantly reduced technicians' hands-on time needed for inoculation by 26.5% without altering the overall turnaround time of surveillance cultures or causing higher costs for extra plates needed for subcultures. Our modified inoculation protocol offers a cost-effective and easy to implement procedure for MRSA surveillance cultures which significantly decreases technicians' workload and does not impede the downstream workflow. It therefore increases the capacity of laboratory technicians' to execute more demanding tasks.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Creators:	Creators Email ORCID ORCID Put Code Thelen, Philipp UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Hornberg, Kirsten UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Hamprecht, Axel UNSPECIFIED orcid.org/0000-0003-1449-5780 UNSPECIFIED
URN:	urn:nbn:de:hbz:38-171772
DOI:	10.1007/s10096-018-3319-2
Journal or Publication Title:	Eur. J. Clin. Microbiol. Infect. Dis.
Volume:	37
Number:	10
Page Range:	S. 1857 - 1862
Date:	2018
Publisher:	SPRINGER
Place of Publication:	NEW YORK
ISSN:	1435-4373
Language:	English
Faculty:	Unspecified
Divisions:	Unspecified
Subjects:	no entry
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Keywords Language RESISTANT STAPHYLOCOCCUS-AUREUS; UNIVERSAL DECOLONIZATION; MICROBIOLOGY; INFECTION; INOQULA Multiple languages Infectious Diseases; Microbiology Multiple languages
Refereed:	Yes
URI:	http://kups.ub.uni-koeln.de/id/eprint/17177