Since there is a ton of ongoing continuing education about hand hygiene , HAI prevention and antimicrobial resistance , I believe the understanding in those specific areas to be higher .
However , generally , I don ’ t think understanding is high with important areas like mutation , virulence , immune responses to microbes , and medical laboratory testing at all .” — Rodney
Rohde , PhD , MS , SM ( ASCP ) CM SV CM , MBCM ,
FACSc
pressures that encourage their survival . A laboratory instrument may or may not detect those mutations , which can present a challenge to clinical interpretation . Clearly , microbes grow , multiply , and die very quickly . If any of those events occur during the pre-analytical specimen management processes , the results of analysis will be compromised , and interpretation could be misleading .”
The journey begins when the infectious disease physician or healthcare epidemiologist needs some basic data from the CML , including answers to three critical questions , “ Is my patient ’ s illness caused by a microbe ? If so , what is it ? What is the susceptibility profile of the organism so therapy can be targeted ?” according to Miller , et al . ( 2018 ) who add , “ To meet those needs , the laboratory requires a specimen that has been appropriately selected , collected , and transported to the laboratory for analysis . Caught in the middle , between the physician and laboratory requirements , are the medical personnel who select and collect the specimen and who may not know or understand what the physician or the laboratory needs to do their work . Enhancing the quality of the specimen is everyone ’ s job , so communication between the physicians , nurses , and laboratory staff should be encouraged and open with no punitive motive or consequences . The diagnosis of infectious disease is best achieved by applying in-depth knowledge of both medical and laboratory science along with principles of epidemiology and pharmacokinetics of antibiotics and by integrating a strategic view of host – parasite interactions . Clearly , the best outcomes for patients are the result of strong partnerships between the clinician and the microbiology specialist .”
However , outside of the healthcare trifecta of the infection preventionist ( IP ), healthcare epidemiologist and microbiologist , knowledge of the CML by the average healthcare worker may be scant . And many healthcare personnel may have never met their institution ’ s CML staff . As Benbachir ( 2018 ) observes , “ The microbiologist is a daily privileged interlocutor of the infection control team ( infection control doctor and infection control nurse ) and the antimicrobial stewardship working group .”
“ In my own experience of more than 30 years of public health and medical laboratory service , I believe that the level of understanding around general microbiology to be somewhere in the middle of the road ,” says Rodney Rohde , PhD , MS , SM ( ASCP ) CM SV CM , MBCM , FACSc , chair and professor for the CLS Program at Texas State University College of Health Professions . “ Since there is a ton of ongoing continuing education about hand hygiene , HAI prevention and antimicrobial resistance , I believe the understanding in those specific areas to be higher . However , generally , I don ’ t think understanding is high with important areas like mutation , virulence , immune responses to microbes , and medical laboratory testing at all . In fact ,
I would place those topics in the lower understanding not only among healthcare workers but also the public . Has the pandemic with COVID-19 raised awareness about microbiology , infectious agents , testing and the immune system ? Certainly , but I still think all areas of society ( outside the realm of clinical microbiology researchers and professionals ) are in the lower range of understanding the critical impact microbiology plays in health , infection control and prevention , and global public health .”
Paul J . Pearce , PhD , principal of The Pearce Foundation for Scientific Endeavor , concurs . “ Generally , healthcare personnel are unaware and lack understanding of the complex nature of microbial outbreaks ,” Pearce says . “ This is primarily due to lack of training in microbiology , epidemiology and the factors associated with outbreaks / pandemics . Healthcare personnel operate in a reactionary environment and seek to solve the immediate problems they encounter . Specific training in recognizing the underlying potential dangers and risks associated with outbreaks is necessary to properly prepare for future outbreaks .”
However , both Rohde and Pearce indicate that the pandemic is an opportunity to raise the profile of the CML .
“ I absolutely believe the pandemic helped place a strong light of visibility on the medical laboratory and our services ,” Rohde says . “ Leaders must leverage this visibility now and going forward by clearly taking a seat at the table of healthcare and public health . Our profession provides more than 13 billion medical laboratory tests each year , including the more than 1 million COVID-19 tests we have conducted since the pandemic began . I and many others have offered our voice and appearances via explainer articles , research publications , podcasts , social media , legislative initiatives , national workforce committees , and subject matter experts during the pandemic . We must continue to raise awareness and visibility for recruitment and retention of college majors , as well as how our work in laboratory medicine provides more than 70 percent of all clinical decision-making for patient care .”
“ COVID outbreaks did raise the profile of clinical laboratory services ,” Pearce confirms . “ Laboratories that promoted fast , accurate , and convenient testing for consumers benefited from making such testing available . Direct consumer access to routine laboratory testing could be of value in the future .”
CMLs had to adapt their structure to respond to an unprecedented massive diagnostic demand of COVID-19 , placing tremendous strain on personnel and resources . When examining the CML workload during the pandemic , for example , Catalán , et al . ( 2021 ) noted a 96.7 percent increase in the total number of samples processed , with the highest demands placed on the virology and serology areas .