Impact of Initial Specimen Diversion Techniques on Reducing Blood Culture Contamination Rates
Problem
A level one trauma center in Illinois has blood culture contamination rates of around 7%, exceeding the accepted national average of 3%. The Emergency Department contributes to 50% of these Blood Culture Contaminations.
Purpose
Blood Culture contamination is costly to the patient and the hospital by , increasing the length of stay, misdiagnoses, and the need for additional blood testing. These numbers highlight an opportunity for the hospital and an impact that this project could have on best practices.
Search strategy
Using PubMed and CINAHL seven papers were reviewed within the last five years with available evidence revealing blood culture contamination reduction below the 3% national contamination target with diversion techniques.
Results of literature search
This project focused on three techniques, a blood tube diversion with current supplies available and two commercially available devices that divert blood in a chamber before collection into the blood culture bottles. This method, compared with the standard procedure in use at our medical center, reduced contamination by 66% with the initial specimen diversion technique, ISDT, and at no additional cost (A Lalezari, 2019). Steripath and Kurin Lock boast higher reduction rates at a higher cost.
Synthesis of evidence
The implementation of ISDTs within multiple hospital systems have yielded positive outcomes, with improvement in blood culture contamination rates and significant decrease in costs associated w/ false blood culture contamination.
Implications for practice
Interdisciplinary team necessary collaboration for purchasing, study, and review of device efficacy in the institution to measure reduction of HAIs, hospital length of stay, mortality, and morbidity.
Impact of Initial Specimen Diversion Techniques on Reducing Blood Culture Contamination Rates
