Antibiotic-lock technique for the treatment of central venous catheter infections [9]

SCOPUS: le.jinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

Antibiotic policy: A tool for controlling resistance of hospital pathogens

SCOPUS: cp.jinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

Ventilator associated pneumonia: Risk factors and preventive measures

SCOPUS: cp.jinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

Effects of estrogens and calcium on calcitonin secretion in postmenopausal women

SCOPUS: ar.jinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

Extraintestinal Clostridium difficile infections

SCOPUS: ar.jinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

Granulocyte elastase compared to C-reactive protein for early diagnosis of septicemia in critically III patients

SCOPUS: ar.jinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

Infection control in the intensive care unit

SCOPUS: re.jinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

The European centre for infectious diseases: An adequate response to the challenges of bioterrorism and major natural infectious threats

SCOPUS: ed.jinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

Control of infectious diseases in the era of European clinical microbiology laboratory consolidation: New challenges and opportunities for the patient and for public health surveillance

Many new innovative diagnostic approaches have been made available during the last 10 years with major impact on patient care and public health surveillance. In parallel, to enhance the cost-effectiveness of the clinical microbiology laboratories (CMLs), European laboratory professionals have streamlined their organization leading to amalgamation of activities and restructuring of their professional relationships with clinicians and public health specialists. Through this consolidation process, an operational model has emerged that combines large centralized clinical laboratories performing most tests on one high-throughput analytical platform connected to several distal laboratories dealing locally with urgent analyses at near point of care. The centralization of diagnostic services over a large geographical region has given rise to the concept of regional-scale "microbiology laboratories network." Although the volume-driven cost savings associated with such laboratory networks seem self-evident, the consequence(s) for the quality of patient care and infectious disease surveillance and control remain less obvious. In this article, we describe the range of opportunities that the changing landscape of CMLs in Europe can contribute toward improving the quality of patient care but also the early detection and enhanced surveillance of public health threats caused by infectious diseases. The success of this transformation of health services is reliant on the appropriate preparation in terms of staff, skills, and processes that would be inclusive of stakeholders. In addition, rigorous metrics are needed to set out more concrete laboratory service performance objectives and assess the expected benefits to society in terms of saving lives and preventing diseases.SCOPUS: ar.jinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe