A METHOD FOR COMPILING BACTERIOLOGICAL FINDINGS IN A MEDIUM-SIZED HOSPITAL.

Abstract

A method for classifying and compiling bacteriological findings has been established in a 350-bed hospital in order to allow future correlation of laboratory data with information obtained from clinical observations. All information available before and after bacteriological investigation was registered by notching the appropriate holes of a 5 x 8 McBee Keysort perforated card. Each hole on the card corresponded to a specific item of information such as wards, type of specimens, sensitivity to antibiotics and sulfonamides, bacterial species, and so on. With this method it is easy to pick out with a needle any information that may be requested, for example: (1) incidence of Staphylococcus pyogenes in specimens submitted by each department, (2) Staphylococcus pyogenes strains isolated in each department, (3) antibiotic sensitivity patterns, and (4) incidence of cultures yielding positive growth.