title: Effective strategy for decreasing blood culture contamination rates: the experience of a Veterans Affairs Medical Centre.
abstract: 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.
authors: Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, James H. Quillen College of Medicine, East Tennessee State University, Dogwood Ave., Johnson City, TN 37614, USA. estecina@hotmail.com
authors: D
authors: D
authors: Youssef
authors: W
authors: W
authors: Shams
authors: B
authors: B
authors: Bailey
authors: T J
authors: TJ
authors: O'Neil
authors: M A
authors: MA
authors: Al-Abbadi
mesh_terms: D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D016470:Bacteremia / Q000175:diagnosis*; D001769:Blood / Q000382:microbiology*; D003951:Diagnostic Errors / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006787:Hospitals, Veterans; D006801:Humans; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013048:Specimen Handling / Q000379:methods*