Insight from a fellow intern...Important ID Info!

When in doubt, write it out!

Using acronyms for antibiotics is usually not recommended, as many of the acronyms overlap with other drugs. A very common one that is used incorrectly is “CTX” as an acronym for Ceftriaxone, but this is incorrect. CRO is the correct acronyn from Ceftriaxone and CTX denotes Cefotaxime. Would recommend against the use of acronyms for antibiotics as it can lead to a lot of confusion.

High yield info about reviewing blood cultures:

When a blood culture pops positive, the team will receive a call from the lab with the positive results. However, when the BCID results, which is the PCR run on the blood culture that detects the microbe and the virulence factors, it is posted under “Lab-extended”, under “Infectious Disease” and “Molecular Infectious Disease”...basically go to “Lab-extended” and scroll down to the bottom.

The team DOES NOT receive a call from the lab with the BCID result. Once you are aware of a preliminary positive blood culture (from that first call/notification from the lab) you MUST then continue to check for the final results for the BCID and for the final culture result under the Micro tab. Delays in finding and reviewing this information can lead to delays in antibiotic initiation and/or selection.