Barriers to implementing the NICE guidelines for early-onset neonatal infection: cross-sectional survey of neonatal blood culture reporting by laboratories in the UK

• Published in: The Journal of hospital infection Vol. 98; no. 4; pp. 425 - 428
• Main Authors: Paul, S.P., Caplan, E.M., Morgan, H.A., Turner, P.C.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Ltd 01.04.2018
• Subjects: Antimicrobial stewardship; Blood Culture; Cross Infection - epidemiology; Cross Infection - prevention & control; Cross-Sectional Studies; Disease Notification - standards; Gentamicin; Guideline Adherence; Humans; Infant, Newborn; Interviews as Topic; Neonatal blood culture reporting; Neonatal Sepsis - epidemiology; Neonatal Sepsis - prevention & control; NICE guidelines; Premature infants; United Kingdom - epidemiology; Neonatal blood culture reporting; NICE guidelines; Antimicrobial stewardship; Premature infants; Gentamicin
• ISSN: 0195-6701; 1532-2939
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jhin.2017.12.015

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence published guidelines for managing early-onset neonatal infections in 2012. It recommended provision for reporting blood cultures (BCs) with growth detected or not detected at 36 h. To determine if this was followed, a telephone survey was conducted amongst lead biomedical scientists based at microbiology laboratories (N = 209) in the UK. Overall, 202/209 responded and 139/202 had on-site facilities for BCs. BC results with growth detected or not detected at 36 h were available out-of-hours in 36/139 (26.6%) and 66/139 (47.5%) neonatal units, respectively. Early discontinuation of antibiotics should lead to improved antibiotic stewardship.