Creation of State Antibiogram and Subsequent Launch of Public Health-Coordinated Antibiotic Stewardship in New Hampshire: Small State, Big Collaboration.

BACKGROUND: An antibiogram is a summary of antibiotic susceptibility patterns for selected bacterial pathogens and antibiotics. The New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services' Division of Public Health Services (DPHS) sought to create an annual state antibiogram to monitor statewide antibiotic resistance trends, guide appropriate empiric antibiotic prescribing, and inform future statewide antibiotic stewardship. METHODS: Through legislative authority, DPHS required hospital laboratories to report antibiogram data annually. DPHS convened an advisory group of infectious disease and pharmacy stakeholders and experts to develop a standardized reporting form for bacteria and antibiotic susceptibility, which was disseminated to all 26 hospitals in New Hampshire. We combined the reported data into a statewide antibiogram, and we created clinical messaging to highlight findings and promote rational antibiotic prescribing among health care providers. RESULTS: All hospital laboratories in New Hampshire submitted annual antibiogram data for 2016 and 2017, including more than 30 000 and 20 000 bacterial isolates recovered from urine and nonurine cultures, respectively, each year. The advisory group created clinical messages for appropriate treatment of common infectious syndromes, including uncomplicated urinary tract infections, community-acquired pneumonia, skin and soft-tissue infections, intra-abdominal infections, and health care-associated gram-negative aerobic infections. The statewide antibiograms and clinical messaging were widely disseminated. CONCLUSIONS: The small size of New Hampshire, a centralized public health structure, and close working relationships with hospitals and clinical partners allowed for efficient creation and dissemination of an annual statewide antibiogram, which has fostered public health-clinical partnerships and built a foundation for future state-coordinated antibiotic stewardship. This process serves as a model for other jurisdictions that are considering antibiogram development.

COVID-19 Pandemic Planning: Simulation Models to Predict Biochemistry Test Capacity for Patient Surges.

BACKGROUND: Patient surges beyond hospital capacity during the initial phase of the COVID-19 pandemic emphasized a need for clinical laboratories to prepare test processes to support future patient care. The objective of this study was to determine if current instrumentation in local hospital laboratories can accommodate the anticipated workload from COVID-19 infected patients in hospitals and a proposed field hospital in addition to testing for non-infected patients. METHODS: Simulation models predicted instrument throughput and turn-around-time for chemistry, ion-selective-electrode, and immunoassay tests using vendor-developed software with different workload scenarios. The expanded workload included tests from anticipated COVID patients in 2 local hospitals and a proposed field hospital with a COVID-specific test menu in addition to the pre-pandemic workload. RESULTS: Instrumentation throughput and turn-around time at each site was predicted. With additional COVID-patient beds in each hospital, the maximum throughput was approached with no impact on turnaround time. Addition of the field hospital workload led to significantly increased test turnaround times at each site. CONCLUSIONS: Simulation models depicted the analytic capacity and turn-around times for laboratory tests at each site and identified the laboratory best suited for field hospital laboratory support during the pandemic.

Surge-in-Place: Conversion of a Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory Into a COVID-19 Intensive Care Unit and Back Again.

In Spring 2020, the United States epicenter of COVID-19 was New York City, in which the borough of the Bronx was particularly affected. This Fall, there has been a resurgence of COVID-19 in Europe and the Midwestern United States. We describe our experience transforming our cardiac catheterization laboratories to accommodate an influx of COVID-19 patients so as to provide other hospitals with a potential blueprint. We transformed our pre/postprocedural patient care areas into COVID-19 intensive care and step-down units and maintained emergent invasive care for ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction using existing space and personnel.

Laboratory and clinical impacts of an overnight laboratory service.

Delayed initiation of effective antimicrobial therapy for sepsis is associated with increased mortality. Whilst automated blood culture machines operate continuously, this does not align with conventional staff working hours and so turn-around-times (TAT) for reporting gram stains to clinicians are 3-7 times longer for blood cultures that flag positive overnight. We retrospectively compared laboratory TATs and clinical outcomes for blood cultures from 183 patients that flagged positive overnight during a 4-month period before and after the implementation of an overnight laboratory service. Enterobacterales and urinary tract infections were the most frequent pathogens and clinical syndrome respectively, and the prevalence of multi-resistant organisms was 15%. Compared with the pre-implementation period, the post-implementation period was associated with shorter median time from blood culture positivity to gram stain (7.4 vs 1.2 h), first genus level identification (7.2 vs 5.8 h) and first antimicrobial susceptibility result (24.1 vs 7.9 h). Similarly, the median time from blood culture positivity to clinicians first being informed was significantly shorter (9.2 vs 1.3 h). After removal of likely contaminants, 78% of patients were on effective empiric antimicrobials and for patients on ineffective empiric antimicrobials, effective therapy was initiated a median of 3.2 h sooner during the post-implementation period, without impact on mortality. Implementation of an overnight laboratory service was associated with significantly faster TAT for reporting blood culture results and more prompt initiation of effective antimicrobials for patients receiving ineffective empiric therapy, improving attainment of sepsis management goals.

Characteristics and Outcomes of Patients Infected with SARS-CoV-2 in Israel: Correlation between Laboratory Findings on Admission to Emergency Department and Subsequent Respiratory Failure.

BACKGROUND: There is limited clinical information on coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) patients in Israel. OBJECTIVES: To describe the characteristics, outcomes, and potential associations of hospitalized COVID-19 patients in Israel. METHODS: We conducted a single-center, retrospective study of 58 consecutive laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 patients admitted to Laniado Hospital, Israel, between 14 March 2020 and 14 May 2020. Demographic, clinical, and laboratory data on admission were collected and analyzed, and the association to subsequent respiratory failure was assessed. RESULTS: Mean age of patients was 70.7 ± 16.9 years (53% males, 47% females.); 74% had at least one co-morbidity. Most patients were of Jewish Ashkenazi descent. During hospitalization 15 patients (mean age 78.18 ± 10.35 years); 80% male, 73% Sephardi descent developed respiratory failure rates of 60% occurring on average 10.6 days following intubation. Laboratory tests at admission displayed a significant increase in C-reactive protein (CRP) and creatine kinase (CK) and a decrease in absolute lymphocyte count (ALC) in patients who eventually developed respiratory failure (163.97 mg/L, 340.87 IU/L, 0.886 K/µl vs. 50.01 mg/L and 123.56 IU/L, 1.28 K/µl, respectively). Multivariate logistic analysis revealed an integrated parameter of CRP, CK, and ALC highly correlated with respiratory failure. Receiver operating characteristic curve revealed the area under the curve of CRP, CK, and ALC and the integrated parameter to be 0.910, 0.784, and 0.754, respectively. CRP was the strongest predictor to correlate with respiratory failure. CONCLUSIONS: CRP, CK, and ALC levels on admission could possibly be used to detect high-risk patients prone to develop respiratory failure.

Experience on how to implement a preanalytical and POCT unit in Madrid's IFEMA field hospital during this unprecedented COVID-19 emergency.

To fight the virus SARS-CoV-2 spread to Europe from China and to give support to the collapsed public health system, the Spanish Health Authorities developed a field hospital located in the facilities of Madrid exhibition centre (IFEMA) to admit and treat patients diagnosed with SARS-CoV-2 infectious disease (COVID-19). The Department of Laboratory Medicine of La Paz University Hospital in Madrid (LMD-HULP) was designated to provide laboratory services. Due to the emergency, the IFEMA field hospital had to be prepared for patient admission in less than 1 week and the laboratory professionals had to collaborate in a multidisciplinary group to assure that resources were available to start on time. The LMD-HULP participated together with the managers in the design of the tests portfolio and the integration of the healthcare information systems (IS) (hospital IS, laboratory IS and POCT management system). Laboratorians developed a strategy to quickly train clinicians and nurses on test requests, sample collection procedures and management/handling of the POCT blood gas analyser both by written materials and training videos. The IFEMA´s preanalytical unit managed 3782 requests, and more than 11,000 samples from March 27th to April 30th. Furthermore, 1151 samples were measured by blood gas analysers. In conclusion, laboratory professionals must be resilient and have to respond timely in emergencies as this pandemic. The lab's personnel selection, design and monitoring indicators to maintain and further improve the quality and value of laboratory services is crucial to support medical decision making and provide better patient care.

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on cytology practice: An international survey in the Asia-Pacific region.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of the current study was to examine the impact of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on various aspects of cytology practice in the Asia-Pacific region. METHODS: An online questionnaire was distributed to cytopathology laboratories in 24 Asia-Pacific countries to explore the impact of restrictive measures on access to health care, use of general and personal protective equipment (PPE), and changes in cytology workflow and workload from February to April 2020. RESULTS: A total of 167 cytopathology laboratories from 24 countries responded to the survey; the majority reported that restrictive measures that limited the accessibility of health care services had been implemented in their cities and/or countries (80.8%) and their hospitals (83.8%). The respondents noted that COVID-19 had an impact on the cytologic workflow as well as the workload. Approximately one-half of the participants reported the implementation of new biosafety protocols (54.5%) as well as improvements in laboratory facilities (47.3%). Rearrangement or redeployment of the workforce was reported in 53.3% and 34.1% of laboratories, respectively. The majority of the respondents reported a significant reduction (>10%) in caseload associated with both gynecological (82.0%) and nongynecological specimens (78.4%). Most laboratories reported no significant change in the malignancy rates of both gynecological (67.7%) and nongynecological specimens (58.7%) compared with the same period in 2019. CONCLUSIONS: The results of the survey demonstrated that the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a significant reduction in the number of cytology specimens examined along with the need to implement new biosafety protocols. These findings underscore the need for the worldwide standardization of biosafety protocols and cytology practice.

[Theoretic and practical contribution of bayesian inference to statistical process control: The experience of the Lyon Hospitals Board hemostasis laboratory]. / Intérêts théoriques et pratiques de l'inférence bayésienne dans la maîtrise statistique des procédés : retours d'expérience du laboratoire d'hémostase aux Hospices civils de Lyon.

Laboratories need to set up effective overall management of their internal quality control (IQC) and external quality assessment (EQA) results as key elements in statistical process control. Quality targets need to be defined, with methods to ensure durable control with respect to the relevant specifications. The hemostasis laboratory of the Lyon Hospitals Board (HCL, Lyon, France) uses model 3 from the Milan consensus conference, which is the state of the art in terms of quality targets, and uses a common EQA provider supplying as many real patient samples as possible. Giving priority to adopted methods, the lab optimizes the use of manufacturers' prior data: maximum acceptable inter assay coefficient of variation (CV) and prior IQC target values. Bayesian inference brings the method under control with respect to the manufacturers' prior data without the need for a preliminary phase. It links the IQC and EQA plans by the maximum acceptable CVs defined by the manufacturer.

Operational considerations and challenges of biochemistry laboratories during the COVID-19 outbreak: an IFCC global survey.

Objectives: The International Federation of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (IFCC) Task Force on COVID-19 conducted a global survey to understand how biochemistry laboratories manage the operational challenges during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Materials and methods: An electronic survey was distributed globally to record the operational considerations to mitigate biosafety risks in the laboratory. Additionally, the laboratories were asked to indicate the operational challenges they faced. Results: A total of 1210 valid submissions were included in this analysis. Most of the survey participants worked in hospital laboratories. Around 15% of laboratories restricted certain tests on patients with clinically suspected or confirmed COVID-19 over biosafety concerns. Just over 10% of the laboratories had to restrict their test menu or services due to resource constraints. Approximately a third of laboratories performed temperature monitoring, while two thirds of laboratories increased the frequency of disinfection. Just less than 50% of the laboratories split their teams. The greatest reported challenge faced by laboratories during the COVID-19 pandemic is securing sufficient supplies of personal protective equipment (PPE), analytical equipment, including those used at the point of care, as well as reagents, consumables and other laboratory materials. This was followed by having inadequate staff, managing their morale, anxiety and deployment. Conclusions: The restriction of tests and services may have undesirable clinical consequences as clinicians are deprived of important information to deliver appropriate care to their patients. Staff rostering and biosafety concerns require longer-term solutions as they are crucial for the continued operation of the laboratory during what may well be a prolonged pandemic.

Widespread severe acute respiratory coronavirus virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) laboratory surveillance program to minimize asymptomatic transmission in high-risk inpatient and congregate living settings.

We describe a widespread laboratory surveillance program for severe acute respiratory coronavirus virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) at an integrated medical campus that includes a tertiary-care center, a skilled nursing facility, a rehabilitation treatment center, and temporary shelter units. We identified 22 asymptomatic cases of SARS-CoV-2 and implemented infection control measures to prevent SARS-CoV-2 transmission in congregate settings.

Laboratory information system requirements to manage the COVID-19 pandemic: A report from the Belgian national reference testing center.

OBJECTIVE: The study sought to describe the development, implementation, and requirements of laboratory information system (LIS) functionality to manage test ordering, registration, sample flow, and result reporting during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Our large (>12 000 000 tests/y) academic hospital laboratory is the Belgian National Reference Center for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) testing. We have performed a moving total of >25 000 SARS-CoV-2 polymerase chain reaction tests in parallel to standard routine testing since the start of the outbreak. A LIS implementation team dedicated to develop tools to remove the bottlenecks, primarily situated in the pre- and postanalytical phases, was established early in the crisis. RESULTS: We outline the design, implementation, and requirements of LIS functionality related to managing increased test demand during the COVID-19 crisis, including tools for test ordering, standardized order sets integrated into a computerized provider order entry module, notifications on shipping requirements, automated triaging based on digital metadata forms, and the establishment of databases with contact details of other laboratories and primary care physicians to enable automated reporting. We also describe our approach to data mining and reporting of actionable daily summary statistics to governing bodies and other policymakers. CONCLUSIONS: Rapidly developed, agile extendable LIS functionality and its meaningful use alleviates the administrative burden on laboratory personnel and improves turnaround time of SARS-CoV-2 testing. It will be important to maintain an environment that is conducive for the rapid adoption of meaningful LIS tools after the COVID-19 crisis.

[Medical laboratories and quality of care: the most neglected components of rural hospitals in the Democratic Republic of the Congo]. / Laboratoires médicaux et qualité des soins: la partie la plus négligée au niveau des hôpitaux ruraux de la République Démocratique du Congo.

INTRODUCTION: Quality of care is essential to save people living with different diseases. However, inappropriate diagnosis may in no case lead to proper patient management as well as to quality of care. We conducted a cross-sectional descriptive analysis in three laboratories at the General Hospitals in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. METHODS: A team of national experts in the field of laboratories conducted a survey in the three clinical laboratories of the General Hospitals in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Observations, visits and structured interviews using a questionnaire were used to assess the performance of these clinical laboratories. We also used a national evaluation guidance for the assessment of laboratories. RESULTS: The clinical laboratories of the General Hospitals visited showed many deficits, in particular, in infrastructures, in the basic and continuous training of the personnel, in the equipment, in supervision and quality control. Technical performances of these laboratories were not adapted to meet the needs of the population with regard to diseases frequently encountered in these areas. We also noted that these laboratories are little or almost not assisted and that there was no coordination team dedicated to the supervision and the assessment of laboratories in the hospital or even in the health zone. In addition, technicians working in their different laboratories had not been supervised over many years. CONCLUSION: Clinical laboratory improvement would allow for proper diagnosis of different diseases. This improvement should take into account local diseases. Within the system, it is important to devote more attention to clinical laboratories. Advocacy for this neglected component of the health system is necessary, as this situation could be the same in many developing countries.

Real-time display of laboratory testing status improves satisfaction levels in an emergency department: A pilot study.

BACKGROUND: Clinicians need to know timelines of requested laboratory tests to provide effective patient management. We developed a real-time laboratory progress checking system and measured its effectiveness using appropriate indicators in an emergency room setting. METHODS: In our original in-house health information system display, blank spaces, which were generated for test results when tests were ordered, remained empty until the final results reported. We upgraded the laboratory reporting system to show real-time testing information. The stages included requests for test, label printing, sampling, laboratory receipts, performance of tests, verification of results, and interpretation of results and final report by laboratory physician. To assess the usefulness of the function, we measured the emergency department healthcare workers' satisfaction and compared the number of phone calls about test status before and after implementation. RESULTS: After the system upgrade, the healthcare workers' understanding of the testing process increased significantly as follows. More clinicians could estimate the time of final test results through the real-time testing status information (61.9% and 85.7%, P = .002), and respondents reported that the upgraded system was more convenient than the original system (41.3% and 22.2%, respectively, P = .022). The number of phone calls about the test status decreased after implementation of the upgrade; however, the difference was not statistically significant (before, 0.13% [63 calls/48 637 tests] and after, 0.09% [42/46 666]; P = .066). CONCLUSIONS: The real-time display of laboratory testing status increased understanding of testing process among healthcare workers in emergency room, which ultimately may increase the usefulness and efficiency of the laboratory service use.