J Clin Pathol Qual Control.  1998 Dec;20(2):335-347.

Improvement of Interpretative Reporting System of Antimicrobial Susceptibility Test

• Uh Y
• Jang IH
• Yoon KJ
• Seo DM

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Reporting antimicrobial susceptibility test requires a more complete interpretation using antibiotic resistance mechanisms and clinical data. As resistance mechanisms of increasing complexity are found in a growing number of interpretative reporting system of antimicrobial susceptibility test.
METHODS
Comment content were primarily selected by rule check codes based on resistance mechanisms, phenotypic probability to antibiogram, class disk, spectrum group, drug insurance criteria, and clinical data; then selected comment codes were displayed on the computer screen after the same comment code(s) and contradictory comment codes were deleted by the program, and then interpreted results were printed to the final report after the validation and correction of the disk susceptibility test results.
RESULTS
Application methods of 182 rule check codes according to knowledge base in order of decreasing frequency were resistance mechanisms 45 (24.7%), natural resistance 39 (21.4%), drug insurance criteria 23 (12.6%), clinical data 20 (10.9%). One hundred five comment codes were made.
CONCLUSIONS
This program composed of 183 rule check codes and 105 comment codes is useful in quality control of antimicrobial susceptibility test and decision making in antimicrobial therapy of patients. Development of new system or modification of present system are needed to resolve the logical contradiction between comment contents of interpretative reporting system.

MeSH Terms

Decision Making
Drug Resistance, Microbial
Humans
Immunity, Innate
Insurance, Pharmaceutical Services
Knowledge Bases
Logic
Microbial Sensitivity Tests
Quality Control