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Letter

Non-Standardized Terminology in Healthcare: Shortcomings and Subsequent Rectifications [Letter]

       

Authors Kumar H , Kumar N , Kaur N

Received 13 April 2022

Accepted for publication 22 April 2022

Published 3 May 2022 Volume 2022:15 Pages 2369—2370

DOI https://doi.org/10.2147/IDR.S370670

Checked for plagiarism Yes

Editor who approved publication: Professor Suresh Antony

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Harit Kumar,1 Nitin Kumar,2 Narinder Kaur1

1Department of Microbiology, Maharishi Markandeshwar Institute of Medical Science & Research, Maharishi Markandeshwar (Deemed to be University), Mullana, Haryana, India; 2Department of Microbiology, Symbiosis Medical College for Women, Symbiosis International (Deemed University) (SIU), Pune, Maharashtra, India

Correspondence: Narinder Kaur, Department of Microbiology, Maharishi Markandeshwar Institute of Medical Science & Research, Maharishi Markandeshwar (Deemed to be University), Mullana, Haryana, India, Email [email protected]

View the original paper by Dr Bitew and colleagues

A Response to Letter has been published for this article.

Dear Editor

We have read the study titled “Bacterial and Fungal Profile, Antibiotic Susceptibility Patterns of Bacterial Pathogens and Associated Risk Factors of Urinary Tract Infection Among Symptomatic Pediatrics Patients Attending St. Paul’s Hospital Millennium Medical College: A Cross-Sectional Study” with an interest to know about bacterial and fungal isolates causing urinary tract infections (UTI) in symptomatic pediatric patients.1

First, we would like to congratulate the authors for conducting and presenting a highly commendable research. Nonetheless, the following points in the said study need to be reviewed urgently-

  1. The authors have defined and applied two terms: Ward acquired UTI and ICU acquired UTI. These new medical terms have never been used in the literature and have no scientific justification at all. Therefore, the acceptable terminology such as “Catheter associated Urinary tract Infection” (CAUTI) and “Non-catheter associated UTI” as per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)2 is highly appreciated.

Though, the new terminology hardly affects the methodology and data analysis in any study, but the following disadvantages of using new or incorrect terminology cannot be overlooked:

  1. The study with new or incorrect terminology may end up with high probability of getting missed out during meta-analysis.
  2. The new or incorrect terminology especially in health sciences not only appears flawed but also creates ambiguity and poses academic challenges which may lead to scientific controversy.

Therefore, the literature in health-care should be added with scientifically valid and standardized terminology only which is always associated with better knowledge transfer and improved patient care.

  • 2. The authors have tested vancomycin against Staphylococcus aureus by Kirby-Bauer (diffusion based) method which is not recommended as per Clinical & Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) guidelines.3–5
  • 3. The authors have mentioned that “all isolates (100%) of Gram-positive bacteria were susceptible to oxacillin (Table 5)” whereas the result of oxacillin susceptibility testing has not been mentioned at all in the said table. Since oxacillin testing is not recommended for Enterococcus spp. as per CLSI guidelines therefore the result of oxacillin susceptibility (if tested) may be restricted to Staphylococcus species only.3

    • Disclosure

    The authors declare no conflicts of interest in this communication.

    References

    1. Bitew A, Zena N, Abdeta A. Bacterial and fungal profile, antibiotic susceptibility patterns of bacterial pathogens and associated risk factors of urinary tract infection among symptomatic pediatrics patients attending St. Paul’s Hospital Millennium Medical College: a cross-sectional study. Infect Drug Resist. 2022;15:1613–1624. doi:10.2147/IDR.S358153

    2. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN)]. Protocols. Urinary Tract Infections (UTI) events; 2022. Available from https://www.cdc.gov/nhsn/pdfs/pscmanual/7psccauticurrent.pdf. Accessed April 12, 2022.

    3. Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute. Performance standards for antimicrobial susceptibility testing. In: CLSI Supplement M100. 27th ed. Wayne, PA: Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute; 2017.

    4. Kumar N, Sen S. Effectiveness of disc diffusion method for vancomycin sensitivity testing of Staphylococcus aureus [Letter]. Infect Drug Resist. 2022;15:1027–1028. doi:10.2147/IDR.S363499

    5. Xu Y, Wang B, Zhao H, et al. In vitro activity of vancomycin, teicoplanin, linezolid and daptomycin against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus isolates collected from Chinese hospitals in 2018–2020. Infect Drug Resist. 2021;14:5449–5456. doi:10.2147/IDR.S340623

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