We produce antibiogram reports four times per year based on a request from our infection control department.  However, I noticed that NCCLS document M39-A “Analysis and Presentation of Cumulative Antimicrobial Susceptibility Test Data” suggests that annual antibiogram reports are sufficient.  Do you agree?

Answer:

The primary focus of NCCLS document M39-A is to assist laboratories in preparing antibiogram reports that help physicians choose empiric anti-infective therapy. For this purpose, the NCCLS subcommittee decided that an annual report was sufficient for most institutions. However, there are other uses of cumulative antimicrobial susceptibility test data and your infection control department is probably using the data for other purposes, such as following resistance trends.  In these cases, more frequent reports may be useful.