title: [The important role of the microbiology laboratory in treating patients with infectious diseases and in controlling hospital infections].
abstract: It is very important for the microbiology laboratory to provide the clinician with information about microbiology laboratory tests results as soon as possible, since this data is strongly connected to treating patients with infectious diseases appropriately, as well as with performing adequate hospital infection control. Therefore, the microbiology laboratory should always have a good relationship and good communication with the clinician and infection control practitioner. For this purpose, it would be beneficial for the microbiology laboratory staff to attend the doctor's round to see patients with infectious diseases, or to attend the patients management conferences in the wards. In most hospitals in Japan, microbiology laboratories are closed on holidays. But the microbiology laboratory should be available for at least some important tests, such as the identification and susceptibility testing of blood cultures isolates on holidays in order to facilitate treatment of patients with serious infectious diseases by appropriate antimicrobial therapy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Saint Luke's International Hospital, Tokyo.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Furukawa
mesh_terms: D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy; D002648:Child; D019411:Clinical Laboratory Techniques; D003428:Cross Infection / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006801:Humans; D007239:Infections / Q000188:drug therapy*; D007755:Laboratories, Hospital / Q000458:organization & administration*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged