When logging a culture failure, what is the most important detail to document?

When logging a culture failure, the most crucial detail to document is the expiration dates of reagents used. This is vital because expired reagents can significantly impact the reliability and viability of the culture results. Using outdated reagents may lead to incorrect interpretations or unexpected failures in culture growth, which can mislead further investigations or clinical decisions.

Documenting the expiration dates allows for a clear understanding of whether reagents were appropriately utilized, as well as providing insights into whether the failure could have been influenced by the quality of the materials used. It also aids in continuous quality improvement processes, ensuring that all reagents are within their effective use dates to prevent future occurrences of similar failures.

While the type of culture medium, incubation temperature, and sample source are also important considerations when analyzing culture problems, they are secondary to ensuring that all reagents are valid and effective for use, as their reliability is fundamental to the entire culturing process.