The microbiology lab at Awanui Hawkes Bay is planning to change the way wound swab cultures are reported. The change will come into effect on 1 April, 2025. This change has already been made in the greater Wellington and Taranaki regions and has proven to be a great success.
What is the change?
We plan to change our reporting so that only pathogens unlikely to be covered by standard treatment would be reported e.g. MRSA, Aeromonas etc. The standard recommended treatment for most skin and soft tissue infections is flucloxacillin or cefalexin so organisms that are susceptible to these antibiotics e.g. methicillin-susceptible S. aureus, or beta haemolytic Streptococci will not be reported.
Please distribute this to your clinical teams, and take the time to read about the changes. Clinical details will be very important.