Poorly Collected Specimens May Have a Negative Impact on Your Antibiotic Stewardship Program

It is the legal responsibility of the microbiology laboratory to develop and implement specimen management policies that are supported by the medical staff and the antimicrobial stewardship committee. These policies will promote the production of microbiology results that are accurate, significant, and clinically relevant and will reduce the potential for inaccurate and misleading results that lead to misdiagnosis and inappropriate therapy.