By Chris Gardner
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Upon completion of this article, the reader will be able to:
- Discuss statistics and factors that lead to bloodstream infections.
- Describe the limitations of culture-based testing of bloodstream infections.
- Discuss best treatment algorithms for suspected bloodstream infections.
- List and describe molecular-based testing for bloodstream infections, including their main advantages over culture-based testing.
About the Author
Chris Gardner is Director of Product Marketing at Luminex, a DiaSorin company, responsible for gastrointestinal, blood culture, and other infectious disease tests. He has extensive experience in molecular diagnostics for a wide range of healthcare applications.
Photo credit: Illustration by Christoph Burgstedt @ shutterstock.com
Course Includes
- 1 Article
- 1 Test
- Course Certificate
MLO and Northern Illinois University (NIU), DeKalb, IL, are co-sponsors in offering continuing education units (CEUs) for this issue’s CE article. CEUs or contact hours are granted by the College of Health and Human Sciences at Northern Illinois University, which has been approved as a provider of continuing education programs in the clinical laboratory sciences by the ASCLS P.A.C.E.® program. Continuing education credits awarded for successful completion of this test are acceptable for the ASCP Board of Registry Continuing Competence Recognition Program. Readers who pass the test successfully (scoring 70% or higher) will receive a certificate for 1 contact hour of P.A.C.E.® credit. The fee for this continuing education test is $20. This test was prepared by Amanda Voelker, MPH, MT(ASCP), MLS, Clinical Education Coordinator, School of Health Studies, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL.
Level of Instruction: Intermediate
Passing scores of 70 percent or higher are eligible for 1 contact hour of P.A.C.E. credit. This test is no longer valid for CEUs after April 30, 2024.
NIU is approved as a provider of continuing education programs in the clinical laboratory sciences by the ASCLS P.A.C.E. ® Program.