Bugs, drugs, and computers

The paper describes the development, implementation, and review of a daily reporting system using data from two modules of a hospital information system: drug sensitivity reports from Microbiology, and patient drug profiles from Pharmacy. The system reviews each patient receiving antibiotics and compares that information with the patient's microbiology findings, looking for and flagging "no cultures," "negative cultures," and "mismatches," i.e., the patient is receiving an antibiotic to which the organism is resistant. Reports are produced daily and reviewed by the hospital's Infection Control nurse, who, in turn, notifies the attending physician when appropriate.