Bedside inoculation accelerates detection and improves microbiological diagnosis efficiency compared to delayed inoculation.

Objective: To evaluate the differences in effects between bedside inoculation and traditional delayed inoculation methods in diagnosing wound infections, focusing on positivity rates, diagnostic cycles, and therapeutic outcomes.

Methods: This prospective interventional study was conducted at the Wound Treatment Center of West China Hospital, Sichuan University, from April 2023 to July 2024. Patients were randomly assigned to a bedside inoculation group (n=132) or a delayed inoculation group (n=132). The effectiveness of the two methods was compared based on wound culture outcomes, bacterial species identified, detection of rare bacteria, wound healing rates, and patient satisfaction.

Results: The bedside inoculation group had a significantly shorter detection report time compared to the delayed inoculation group (P<0.001). It also demonstrated a higher rate of detecting complex microbiomes (P=0.003). After 4 weeks, wound area reduction was significantly greater in the bedside group (P<0.001), and this difference remained significant at 8 weeks. The bedside group also had higher Barthel index scores (P<0.05), better wound healing scores (P<0.001), and greater patient satisfaction (P<0.001) than the delayed group.

Conclusion: Bedside inoculation enhances wound infection diagnosis by accelerating result turnaround, reducing overtreatment, and promoting faster healing, ultimately improving patient care.