title: Reducing false-positive peripheral blood cultures in a pediatric emergency department.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  False-positive peripheral blood cultures due to contamination pose clinical and financial consequences for patients, families, and hospitals. Educating staff who draw peripheral blood cultures about hospital policy, using a blood culture-drawing kit, having a dedicated team obtaining peripheral blood cultures, and following up with staff who draw a contaminated peripheral blood cultures have been shown to reduce the rate of false-positive peripheral blood cultures. The objective of this study was to reduce the rate of false-positive peripheral blood cultures in a pediatric emergency department using the previously mentioned measures.
  
  
  METHODS
  This quality-improvement initiative used a retrospective chart-review approach to examine false-positive peripheral blood cultures drawn in 2009. In June 2010 a month-long education campaign about the initiative was conducted for nurses and clinical assistant staff to reduce false-positive peripheral blood cultures. From July 2010 through June 2011, monthly retrospective chart audits of false-positive peripheral blood cultures were completed in conjunction with bimonthly e-mail communication about the study, development of a blood culture-drawing kit, and follow-up with staff who drew the false-positive cultures.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In 2009 the false-positive peripheral blood culture rate in the emergency department was 2.1%. After educational interventions and use of a blood culture-drawing kit, the rate of false-positive peripheral blood cultures decreased to 1.4%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The decline in contaminated blood cultures shows that the interventions described significantly reduced the rate of false-positive peripheral blood cultures in the emergency department.
authors.affiliation: Emergency Department, Children’s Hospital Boston, Boston, MA, USA. michelle.marini@childrens.harvard.edu
authors.forename: Michelle A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Marini
authors.forename: Amy W
authors.initials: AW
authors.lastname: Truog
mesh_terms: D001800:Blood Specimen Collection; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002983:Clinical Competence / Q000592:standards; D016529:Emergency Nursing / Q000193:education / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000592:standards*; D005189:False Positive Reactions; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007318:Inservice Training / Q000379:methods*; D010372:Pediatrics / Q000193:education / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards; D018962:Phlebotomy / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards*; D058996:Quality Improvement; D012189:Retrospective Studies