The American Society for Microbiology collaboration with the CDC Laboratory Medicine Best Practices initiative for evidence-based laboratory medicine.

SUMMARYClinical medicine has embraced the use of evidence for patient treatment decisions; however, the evaluation strategy for evidence in laboratory medicine practices has lagged. It was not until the end of the 20th century that the Institute of Medicine (IOM), now the National Academy of Medicine, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of Laboratory Systems (CDC DLS), focused on laboratory tests and how testing processes can be designed to benefit patient care. In collaboration with CDC DLS, the American Society for Microbiology (ASM) used an evidence review method developed by the CDC DLS to develop a program for creating laboratory testing guidelines and practices.

Beyond Citation Metrics: A Pilot Scoping Review to Rapidly Characterize Article Impact.

Background: Systematic reviews and meta-analyses (SRMAs) support evidence-based practice in laboratory medicine. However, there is little in the literature to address the challenge of globally characterizing the impact of SRMA findings and recommendations. We propose that characterization of citing studies through the structured methods of scoping review provides a meaningful window.

Mapping the Evidence on Rapid Diagnosis of Bloodstream Infections: A Scoping Review.

Background: Laboratory and other healthcare professionals participate in developing clinical practice guidelines through systematic review of the evidence. A significant challenge is the identification of areas for analytic focus when the evidence consists of several categories of interventions and outcomes that span both laboratory and clinical processes. The challenge increases when these interventions present as sets of combined interventions.

Bringing the clinical laboratory into the strategy to advance diagnostic excellence.

Objectives: Clinical laboratory testing provides essential data for making medical diagnoses. Generating accurate and timely test results clearly communicated to the treating clinician, and ultimately the patient, is a critical component that supports diagnostic excellence. On the other hand, failure to achieve this can lead to diagnostic errors that manifest in missed, delayed and wrong diagnoses.

Complete Genome Sequences of Cluster P1 and Cluster C1 Mycobacterium smegmatis Phages Jung and Ronan.

We present the complete genome sequences of phages Jung and Ronan, isolated from soil in Las Vegas, Nevada. The phages were isolated and annotated by students enrolled in a course for undergraduate research experience (CURE). Jung is a cluster P1 mycobacteriophage, while Ronan is in cluster C1.

Roots of the total testing process.

Laboratory professionals can contribute to improvement of diagnosis in the context of the total testing process (TTP), a multidisciplinary framework complementary to the diagnostic process. While the testing process has been extensively characterized in the literature, needed is accurate identification of the source of the term "total testing process". This article clarifies first appearance of the term in the literature and supplies a formal definition.

A Laboratory Medicine Best Practices Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Nucleic Acid Amplification Tests (NAATs) and Algorithms Including NAATs for the Diagnosis of () in Adults.

The evidence base for the optimal laboratory diagnosis of () in adults is currently unresolved due to the uncertain performance characteristics and various combinations of tests. This systematic review evaluates the diagnostic accuracy of laboratory testing algorithms that include nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs) to detect the presence of The systematic review and meta-analysis included eligible studies (those that had PICO [population, intervention, comparison, outcome] elements) that assessed the diagnostic accuracy of NAAT alone or following glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH) enzyme immunoassays (EIAs) or GDH EIAs plus toxin EIAs (toxin). The diagnostic yield of NAAT for repeat testing after an initial negative result was also assessed.

Determining qualitative effect size ratings using a likelihood ratio scatter matrix in diagnostic test accuracy systematic reviews.

Background Diagnostic test accuracy (DTA) systematic reviews (SRs) characterize a test's potential for diagnostic quality and safety. However, interpreting DTA measures in the context of SRs is challenging. Further, some evidence grading methods (e.

Effectiveness of Practices to Support Appropriate Laboratory Test Utilization: A Laboratory Medicine Best Practices Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Objectives: To evaluate the effectiveness of practices used to support appropriate clinical laboratory test utilization.

Methods: This review followed the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Laboratory Medicine Best Practices A6 cycle method. Eligible studies assessed one of the following practices for effect on outcomes relating to over- or underutilization: computerized provider order entry (CPOE), clinical decision support systems/tools (CDSS/CDST), education, feedback, test review, reflex testing, laboratory test utilization (LTU) teams, and any combination of these practices.

Metacognition and evidence analysis instruction: an educational framework and practical experience.

The role of metacognitive skills in the evidence analysis process has received little attention in the research literature. While the steps of the evidence analysis process are well defined, the role of higher-level cognitive operations (metacognitive strategies) in integrating the steps of the process is not well understood. In part, this is because it is not clear where and how metacognition is implicated in the evidence analysis process nor how these skills might be taught.

Hepatitis C virus infection: detection and treatment.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a blood-borne virus that infects the liver. HCV affects millions of Americans, and poses a serious public health threat with sequelae such as cirrhosis, hepatocellular carcinoma, and liver failure. This paper reviews means of transmission, characteristics of the various risk groups, and clinical presentations of both the acute and chronic stages of HCV infection.