When it comes to Legionnaires’ disease, not much is known about diagnostic practices and water management plans in hospitals and how or if they fall in line with available guidance, according to an article on the Contagion Live website.
Legionnaires’ disease has been on the rise in the United States since 2000, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
According to a poster presented at the SHEA Spring 2018 Conference, investigators completed a cross-sectional survey of US members from the SHEA Research Network. The survey asked participants about clinical protocols for diagnosing Legionnaires,’ potable and non-potable water system maintenance, prevention strategies in place for Legionella and knowledge of Legionnaires’ guidelines and regulations.
Fourteen percent of the facilities represented in the survey reported that they always conduct bacterial culture in addition to nonculture tests to diagnose Legionnaires’, whereas the majority (85 percent) reported performing culture confirmation “sporadically, mostly (92 percent) by provider discretion,” according to the authors.
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