athan-whatdo-2014.pdf (71.52 kB)
What do infectious diseases physicians do? a 2-week snapshot of inpatient consultative activities across Australia, New Zealand and Singapore
journal contribution
posted on 2014-10-01, 00:00 authored by P R Ingram, A C Cheng, R J Murray, C C Blyth, T Walls, D A Fisher, J S Davis, Eugene AthanEugene AthanThe practice of an infectious diseases (ID) physician is evolving. A contemporary understanding of the frequency and variety of patients and syndromes seen by ID services has implications for training, service development and setting research priorities. We performed a 2-week prospective survey of formal ID physician activities related to direct inpatient care, encompassing 53 hospitals throughout Australia, New Zealand and Singapore, and documented 1722 inpatient interactions. Infections involving the skin and soft tissue, respiratory tract and bone/joints together accounted for 49% of all consultations. Suspected/confirmed pathogens were primarily bacterial (60%), rather than viral (6%), fungal (4%), mycobacterial (2%) or parasitic (1%). Staphylococcus aureus was implicated in 409 (24%) episodes, approximately four times more frequently than the next most common pathogen. The frequency of healthcare-related infections (35%), immunosuppression (21%), diabetes mellitus (19%), prosthesis-related infections (13%), multiresistant pathogens (13%) and non-infectious diagnoses (9%) was high, although consultation characteristics varied between geographical settings and hospital types. Our study highlights the diversity of inpatient-related ID activities and should direct future teaching and research. ID physicians' ability to offer beneficial consultative advice requires broad understanding of, and ability to interact with, a wide range of referring specialities.
History
Journal
Clinical microbiology and infectionVolume
20Issue
10Pagination
O737 - O744Publisher
ElsevierLocation
Amsterdam, The NetherlandsPublisher DOI
Link to full text
eISSN
1469-0691Language
engPublication classification
C Journal article; C1.1 Refereed article in a scholarly journalCopyright notice
2014, The AuthorsUsage metrics
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No categories selectedKeywords
AustraliaNew ZealandSingaporeconsultationsinfectious diseasesCommunicable DiseasesData CollectionHospital DepartmentsHumansInpatientsPhysician's RolePhysiciansProspective StudiesRisk FactorsTimeScience & TechnologyLife Sciences & BiomedicineMicrobiologyINTERNAL-MEDICINEADHERENCEIMPACTAustralasian Society for Infectious Diseases Clinical Research Network
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