CMPT's Clinical Bacteriology Program

Challenges

Clinical Bacteriology Surveys are shipped 4 times per year. Each survey consists of up to 7 simulated samples made up from the choices listed below.

Only category A laboratories receive all 7 samples, category B laboratories receive 5 samples, category C laboratories receive 3 samples, and category C1 laboratories receive 2 samples per survey.

Several components make up the Clinical Bacteriology Program. For specific information, please visit the specific links listed or view the challenges description page.

Supplementary Gram Smears
Introduced in 2009 - first send out August 2009 -, the program consists of 2 surveys per year, each with two slides for Gram staining. The supplementary Gram Smear program focuses on simulated CSF and joint fluid samples.

Surveys are sent February and August of each year with the Clinical Bacteriology survey sendout. This program is only available to full year Clinical Bacteriology program subscribers.

Participant results

Participant use an on-line data entry system to report results to CMPT or fax a hard copy using CMPT report forms.

Instructions for sample handling and reporting are included in each send out package.

Results are available to particpants in critique format. The critiques include the expected results, comparison of results, reviews and recommendations by expert Committee (see example). Critiques are in pdf format.

Grading

Grading schemes are generally on a 4-point scale, and address identification, urine colony count, antimicrobial susceptibility testing, Gram stain analysis and interpretation, and importantly clinical relevancy reporting of the challenge.

Participants are provided with their individual results via confidential letters, together with summaries of the collated results across all responding laboratories, sorted by category and clinical information regarding the challenge (see Critiques).

End of year assessments printed in the CMPT Annual Report allow individual laboratories comparisons with means calculated from laboratories replying to all surveys.