Microbiology — Antibiotic Groups (panels)

Antibiotic Groups are curated sets of antimicrobial agents that load automatically during susceptibility entry. By associating an organism (or test) with an Antibiotic Group, technologists see only the relevant antibiotics instead of a long master list—speeding data entry and reducing selection errors. Users can still switch to the full list when exceptions arise (if enabled).

Why use Antibiotic Groups

• Faster entry: Present a focused panel tailored to the organism/specimen.
• Fewer errors: Limit choices to appropriate agents for the context.
• Consistency: Standardize which drugs are tested and reported across benches.

Common examples:

• Enterobacterales panel (e.g., AMP, CTX, CRO, CIP, TZP, MEM)
• Staphylococcus aureus panel (e.g., OX, FOX, VAN, DOX, TMP/SMX, CLIN)
• Pseudomonas aeruginosa panel (e.g., CAZ, FEP, TZP, CIP, MER, TOB)

How they work in the LIS

• Organism → Antibiotic Group: In the Organisms master, link each organism to a default group. Selecting that organism in result entry loads the group’s antibiotics for entry.
• Test-level option (if configured): Some sites also link a group at the test setup level (e.g., for specimen-specific panels).
• Overrides: Users may switch to “All antibiotics” when policy allows; all actions are audit‑logged.

📘 Instructions: Add an Antibiotic Group

1. Click Microbiology.
2. Click Antibiotic Groups.
3. When the form opens, fill in the fields marked with asterisks (e.g., Group Name, Status).
4. Click Add to save.

After saving:

• Open the newly created group from the grid.
• Add antibiotics to the group (select one or more), Update to save.
• Optional: Add standard comments that may print with susceptibility results.

Tip: Associate organisms to the group in Microbiology → Organisms so the panel loads automatically during result entry.

Result entry workflow (at a glance)

1. Identify organism(s) for the culture.
2. The linked Antibiotic Group appears as the default panel.
3. If needed, reveal additional antibiotics (policy-permitting) and document rationale.

Best practices

• Keep panels concise and organism-specific; avoid rarely used agents in default groups.
• Use consistent naming and ordering to match your reports and antibiogram.
• Review panels periodically based on local resistance trends and formulary updates.

Troubleshooting

• Group doesn’t appear in entry: Ensure the organism is linked to the group and both are Active.
• Panel is empty: Add antibiotics to the group and click Update.
• Missing antibiotic: Confirm it exists and is Active in the Antibiotics master; add it to the group.

Using Antibiotic Groups aligns your microbiology workflow to best practices—fast, accurate susceptibility entry with clear, consistent reporting.