Laboratory TAT is a reliable performance indicator, which measures the laboratory’s efficiency in producing its results [21–23]. The TAT is commonly defined as the time elapsed between ordering a laboratory test and the reporting of the results. In this study, the TAT was specified as the time lapse from when the blood culture flagged

positive in the BacT/ALERT 3D® system to when the final verification of the result was reported (either by the identification of the microorganisms using the hemoFISH® assay or the conventional culture assay), this just to underline the advantage in using rapid detection assays compared to traditional systems, but avoiding any other interfering

parameters not strictly imputable to the laboratory https://www.selleckchem.com/products/GSK872-GSK2399872A.html work flow. Our findings also underline how different workflows in microbiology laboratory are and how these can affect the TAT. The delay caused in TAT Selleckchem GSK126 is primarily due to the pre- and post-analytical phases. The most common reasons for this delay were found to be the order processing time, the laboratory excessive queue and the instruments times [22, 23]. A huge impact on TAT, particularly in analytical phase, was also due to the choice of laboratory procedures. Recently, many publications have underlined the usefulness of “rapid methods” either PCR-based or those using the newly introduced technology of CB-839 nmr matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry MALDI-TOF (MS) in diagnosing blood stream infections [24–26]. Moreover, delays in the reporting the tests results were generally linked to the practice of interrupting the workflow over the weekend and during the holidays. Our study, in fact, showed that the main impact in reducing the TAT is indeed in the laboratory itself, where these interruptions were

longer (Verona Hospital than the Rome Hospital). No less important is the presence of skilled personal in the laboratory and their impact on reporting time, as demonstrated by the TAT recorded in the hospital of Rome. This laboratory realistically reported the timing by performing hemoFISH® tests even with those specimens processed in delay, due to the lack of personnel in the laboratory Tolmetin (i.e. on Saturday afternoons and Sundays). This fact has had a heavy impact on the observed average TAT (8.9 vs 1.5). Faster TAT is universally seen as desirable, as the more timely and rapidly a testing is performed, the more efficient and effective will be the treatment [22, 27, 28]. This in turn can save not only time and money for the patient and the hospital, but more importantly it can save lives, reduce patient morbidity and help reducing the further increase of antibiotic resistance as well as a long stay at the hospital [19, 20].