Research Article Open Access

Antibiogram-Derived Radial Decision Trees: An Innovative Approach to Susceptibility Data Display

Rocco J. Perla1 and Paul P. Belliveau1
  • 1 Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, United States

Abstract

Hospital antibiograms (ABGMs) are often presented in the form of large 2-factor (single organism vs. single antimicrobial) tables. Presenting susceptibility data in this fashion, although of value, does have limitations relative to drug resistant subpopulations. As the crisis of antimicrobial drug-resistance continues to escalate globally, clinicians need (1) to have access to susceptibility data that, for isolates resistant to first-line drugs, indicates susceptibility to second line drugs and (2) to understand the probabilities of encountering such organisms in a particular institution. This article describes a strategy used to transform data in a hospital ABGM into a probability-based radial decision tree (RDT) that can be used as a guide to empiric antimicrobial therapy. Presenting ABGM data in the form of a radial decision tree versus a table makes it easier to visually organize complex data and to demonstrate different levels of therapeutic decision-making. The RDT model discussed here may also serve as a more effective tool to understand the prevalence of different resistant subpopulations in a given institution compared to the traditional ABGM.

American Journal of Infectious Diseases
Volume 1 No. 2, 2005, 124-127

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3844/ajidsp.2005.124.127

Submitted On: 1 March 2005 Published On: 30 June 2005

How to Cite: Perla, R. J. & Belliveau, P. P. (2005). Antibiogram-Derived Radial Decision Trees: An Innovative Approach to Susceptibility Data Display. American Journal of Infectious Diseases, 1(2), 124-127. https://doi.org/10.3844/ajidsp.2005.124.127

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Keywords

  • Antibiogram
  • decision-trees
  • interdisciplinary
  • susceptibility