Microbiology — Organisms master and antibiotic groups

Use the Organisms form to predefine organisms that can be selected during result entry and to associate each organism with a predefined group of antibiotics. This speeds up susceptibility entry by auto‑loading the right antibiotic panel for the organism.

What you can set up

• Organism details: display/report name, internal code, active status
• Default antibiotic group/panel to show during susceptibility entry
• Report comments that always print with the organism (e.g., interpretive notes)
• Optional flags via checkboxes/dropdowns (e.g., MDRO)

📘 Instructions: Add a new organism

1. Open the module

• Click Microbiology → Organisms.

2. Enter required details

• In the form, complete all fields marked with an asterisk (e.g., Organism Name, Code).

3. Configure options

• Use the checkboxes and dropdowns as needed.
• Select an Antibiotic Group/Panel to associate with this organism so the appropriate drug list appears automatically during susceptibility entry.

4. Add the organism

• Click Add to save.

5. Add a standard report comment (optional)

• Click Comments (Advanced), enter the comment that should always print with this organism (e.g., intrinsic resistance or clinical guidance), and save.

Tip: Keep names consistent with your reporting conventions to make searching and selection easy during result entry.

After you add an organism

• Result entry: When the organism is selected on a culture, the associated antibiotic group/panel will load for quick susceptibility entry (S/I/R or MICs as configured).
• Edits: You can edit the organism later to change status, CPT Code, antibiotic group, or comments.
• Deactivation: If an organism should no longer be used, mark it inactive instead of deleting to preserve history.

Best practices

• Use standard naming and, if applicable, include common synonyms in a notes field for easier searching.
• Group antibiotics by organism type (e.g., Enterobacterales, Staphylococcus, Pseudomonas) to minimize scrolling.
• Include interpretive comments that add clinical clarity (e.g., “Intrinsic resistance to colistin”).
• Review panels periodically to align with current guidelines and your formulary.
• Keep rarely used or deprecated organisms inactive to reduce clutter during selection.

Troubleshooting

• Antibiotics don’t appear for the organism: Edit the organism and ensure an Antibiotic Group/Panel is selected and active.
• Organism not selectable in result entry: Confirm it’s marked Active and the name/code matches your search.
• Comment not printing: Verify the comment was added via Comments (Advanced) and that your report template includes organism comments.