Waters Sponsored Session: From Bedside to Benchtop: How Cross-Functional Teams Strengthen Diagnostic Stewardship in Sepsis Care
Description:
Accurate and timely sepsis diagnosis depends on far more than technology; it relies on the people, processes, and communication that guide a specimen from bedside to benchtop. In this sponsored session, we follow the complete journey of a blood culture and examine how each touchpoint contributes to (or undermines) diagnostic accuracy. Using a dual perspective approach from both nursing and the clinical microbiology laboratory, we explore where breakdowns commonly occur, such as suboptimal fill volumes, contamination events, timing challenges, and communication gaps, and how these failures impact downstream identification, rapid testing, and ultimately, patient outcomes.
Participants will gain insight into high impact front end practices, the laboratory’s data driven stewardship priorities, and the shared metrics (like contamination rates and fill volumes) that meaningfully improve performance when reviewed collaboratively. We also highlight practical strategies for closing the loop between teams, including joint education, feedback mechanisms, and tools that make quality data visible and actionable at the unit level.
Attendees will leave with a clearer understanding of how nursing and laboratory partnerships can elevate diagnostic stewardship efforts, ensuring that rapid diagnostics are not only available, but truly trusted, interpreted correctly, and used to guide timely, appropriate therapy in sepsis care.
Target Audience:
Nurses, advanced practice providers, physicians, emergency responders, pharmacists, medical technologists, respiratory therapists, physical/occupational therapists, infection prevention specialists, data/quality specialists, and more.
Kayla Kirby, RN, MLS, ASCP
Global Medical Science Liaison
Waters Advanced Diagnostics
Kayla Kirby, RN, MLS, ASCP, is a global medical science liaison for BD diagnostic solutions. She is also licensed as a registered nurse in Indiana and certified as a medical laboratory scientist. Her areas of experience include clinical microbiology laboratory work, and critical care nursing. At BD, Kayla is focused on scientific education, training, and engagement for the microbiology and molecular portfolios. Kayla’s primary focuses include the BACTEC™ blood culture system and the BD MAX™ enteric and healthcare-associated infection assays.
Kayla Van Benten, BS, M(ASCP)
Sr. Manager, Medical Affairs
Waters Advanced Diagnostics
Kayla Van Benten, BS, M(ASCP), is a Senior Manager of Medical Affairs for Waters Advanced Diagnostics and is certified as a Medical Technologist. She brings more than a decade of experience in the clinical microbiology laboratory, including six years in laboratory leadership and management roles. At Waters, Kayla leads the global post-market evidence generation strategy for the microbiology portfolio and oversees the worldwide Medical Science Liaison team. Her professional interests include ID/AST, antimicrobial resistance, and antimicrobial stewardship, with a particular focus on connecting scientific evidence with strategic decision making to support improved patient care.