The Value of an Infectious Diseases Specialist

Petrak, Russell M.
Sexton, Daniel J.
Butera, Michael L.
Tenenbaum, Marvin J.
MacGregor, Mary C.
Schmidt, Mary E.
Joseph, Patrick W.
Kemmerly, Sandra A.
Dougherty, Mark J.
Bakken, Johan S.
Curfman, Maria F.
Martinelli, Lawrence P.
Gainer, Brooks R.

Section Editor
¹Metro Infectious Disease Consultants, Hinsdale
²Travel Medicine Source, Morton Grove, Illinois
³Duke University Medical Center, Division of Infectious Diseases, Durham, North Carolina
⁴ID Association of California, San Diego
⁵ID Medical Group, San Ramon, California
⁶ID Consultants, North Shore, Port Washington, New York
⁷ID Consultants, Fairfax, Virginia
⁸Ochsner Clinic, New Orleans, Louisiana
⁹Lexington ID Consultants, Lexington, Kentucky
¹⁰The Duluth Clinic, Duluth, Minnesota
¹¹Fort Wayne ID, Fort Wayne, Indiana
¹²Lubbock ID Consultants, Lubbock, Texas
¹³Morgantown Internal Medical Group, Morgantown, West Virginia

Reprints or correspondence: Dr. Russell M. Petrak, Metro Infectious Disease Consultants, 500 E. Ogden Ave., Ste. C, Hinsdale, IL 60521 ([email protected]).

Received 19 November 2002; revised 19 December 2002; accepted 10 January 2003.

Clinical Infectious Diseases 36(8):p 1013-1017, April 15, 2003. | DOI: 10.1086/374245

Infectious diseases (ID) specialists have played a major role in patient care, infection control, and antibiotic management for many years. With the rapidly changing nature of health care, it has become necessary for ID specialists to articulate their value to multiple audiences. This article summarizes the versatile attributes possessed by ID specialists and delineates their value to patients, hospitals, and other integral groups in the health care continuum.