Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 22, 2026

Microbiological Rapid On-Site Evaluation for Pulmonary Infectious Diseases
Published on: March 1, 2024
[Microbiological service for intensive care units in Hungary]
Edit Hajdú1, Ria Benko, Mária Matuz
1Szegedi Tudományegyetem, Szent-Györgyi Albert Klinikai Központ, Klinikai Mikrobiológiai Diagnosztikai Intézet, Szeged, Semmelweis u. 6. 6725. hajdu@mlab.szote.u-szeged.hu
Effective infectious disease treatment in intensive care units (ICUs) requires timely microbiological diagnoses and expert consultation. Hungarian ICUs face challenges with laboratory turnaround times and specialist availability, impacting patient care.
Area of Science:
- Infectious Diseases
- Clinical Microbiology
- Intensive Care Medicine
Background:
- Reliable microbiological diagnoses and expert evaluation are crucial for treating infectious diseases in intensive care units (ICUs).
- Current practices in Hungarian ICUs may not fully meet these diagnostic and consultative needs.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the current state of antibiotic policies, microbiological diagnostic capabilities, and infectious disease/microbiology consultation services in Hungarian ICUs.
- To identify deficiencies in the infrastructure and support systems for microbiological diagnostics in ICUs.
Main Methods:
- A survey comprising 97 questions was distributed to intensive care units across Hungary.
- Data on antibiotic policies, laboratory facilities, diagnostic turnaround times, and specialist consultation availability were collected and analyzed.
Main Results:
- Only 55% of surveyed ICUs had an in-house microbiological laboratory.
- Optimal turnaround times for microbiological reports were achieved only 50% of the time on weekdays and less than 20% on weekends.
- While infectious disease specialists were available in >90% of cases during working hours, microbiologist availability decreased significantly outside of working hours (55%).
Conclusions:
- The infrastructure and working conditions for microbiological laboratory diagnostics in Hungarian ICUs are suboptimal.
- Improvements are needed in laboratory turnaround times and specialist accessibility to enhance patient care for infectious diseases.
More Related Videos
09:30Microbial Control and Monitoring Strategies for Cleanroom Environments and Cellular Therapies
Published on: March 17, 2023
09:07Direct Microbial Identification using An Automated Microbial Identification System to Facilitate the EUCAST RAST Method Without Mass Spectrometry
Published on: May 24, 2024
Related Concept Videos
Automated Microbial Diagnostics
Healthcare Associated Infections II: Preventive Measures
The best practices for preventing healthcare-associated infections include hand hygiene, patient risk...
Need for Obtaining Pure Cultures
Key Techniques in Microbiology
Cleaning, Sterilization, and Disinfection
Cleaning
The cleaning process usually involves using water with detergents or enzymatic cleaner and removing foreign material from objects and surfaces, including organic material such as body fluids or inorganic material like soil. Cleaning is performed before high-level disinfection and sterilization because foreign materials on the cover of the devices interfere with process...