Effective Strategy for Decreasing Blood Culture Contamination Rates: The Experience of a Veterans Affairs Medical Centre
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
8-1-2012
Description
Contaminated blood cultures constitute diagnostic challenges and place a burden on healthcare services. An observational retrospective study was undertaken to evaluate the effect of routine labelling of blood culture bottles with the initials of the healthcare worker who drew them, followed by individualized feedback, on blood culture contamination rates. The contamination rate of the entire facility was 2.6% before the procedural change, and this decreased significantly to 1.5% after the procedural change (P < 0.001) over the first 12 months of the intervention. Routine labelling of blood culture bottles with the initials of the healthcare worker who drew them, followed by individualized feedback, was effective in reducing blood culture contamination rates.
Citation Information
Youssef, Dima; Shams, Wael; Bailey, B.; O'Neil, T. J.; and Al-Abbadi, M. A.. 2012. Effective Strategy for Decreasing Blood Culture Contamination Rates: The Experience of a Veterans Affairs Medical Centre. Journal of Hospital Infection. Vol.81(4). 288-291. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhin.2012.05.014 PMID: 22749066 ISSN: 0195-6701