Caitlin Keighley^1
1Southern.IML Pathology

The evolving landscape of microbiology plays a pivotal role in healthcare innovation, driving changes in infectious disease diagnosis and treatment. Advancements in decentralised testing and more comprehensive diagnostics may particularly benefit regional and remote areas.

Key milestones, from Pasteur’s germ theory to Tanaka’s MALDI-ToF, mark the microbiology discipline’s advancements in clinical practice. The fundamental focus of microbiology is identifying microbial pathogens, or intruders, rather than focusing on the host, with implications for transmission and therefore public health response. Modern innovations, including point-of-care molecular testing and metagenomics, redefine infectious disease diagnostics by expanding capabilities and improving access to testing with expanded capability. Additionally, trends in result delivery, such as short message service (SMS) notifications, empower both patients and healthcare providers, enhancing responsiveness during outbreaks.

Reflecting on historic and current developments highlights the unique contributions of microbiologists in innovation and adapting to the dynamic demands of infectious disease diagnostics. Through an exploration of microbiology’s past and present, the future of diagnostic science and its potential impact on global health are examined.

Blood cultures remain the gold standard laboratory investigation for sepsis and severe infections. However, many laboratories do not regularly monitor the quality of these critical samples. Here we discuss ways to optimise blood cultures through a diagnostic stewardship approach. Many opportunities exist to improve the quality of blood cultures for the benefit of our patients.

Maryza Graham^1
1Monash Pathology Clayton

Pathology stewardship aims to influence the process of ordering, performing, and reporting diagnostic tests to improve patient care and reduce waste. The diagnostic stewardship approaches with the highest reported success rates include computerized clinical decision support interventions and real-time evaluations. Unnecessary repeat testing is a good target for diagnostic stewardship. We describe the financial and environmental cost savings of our customized electronic duplicate order alerts and demonstrate that well-designed alerts can remain highly impactful for years after implementation.