Title : Impact of targeted education on blood culture contamination rates: A public hospital quality control study
Abstract:
Introduction:
Blood culture is a critical investigation for diagnosing bloodstream infections, especially in pediatric patients. At JNMCH, with over 12,000 annual blood culture requests, contamination due to improper aseptic techniques often leads to false-positive results, diagnostic delays, prolonged empirical antimicrobial therapy, increased patient costs, and antimicrobial resistance.
Aim:
To evaluate whether supervision by a trained microbiologist during blood collection reduces blood culture contamination rates compared to unsupervised collections.
Methodology:
This prospective study was conducted over six months. A bundle of aseptic precautions was developed, including hand hygiene, sterile gloves, skin disinfection, and aseptic blood inoculation. Blood sample collections from Unit III of Pediatrics were supervised by trained microbiologists (study group), while samples from another unit served as the control group (unsupervised). Contamination rates were compared between the two groups.
Results:
Out of 138 blood cultures, the study group had a contamination rate of 10.9% (10/92), significantly lower than the control group’s rate of 32.60% (30/92). The supervised intervention resulted in a significant reduction in contamination rates.
Discussion:
While the contamination rate in the study group was above the desired threshold of <3%, the findings underscore the efficacy of supervision and adherence to aseptic protocols. Additional strategies, such as standardized training and protocols, are necessary to achieve further reductions.
Conclusion:
Supervised blood culture collections significantly reduced contamination rates, highlighting the importance of trained personnel and adherence to aseptic procedures in improving diagnostic accuracy and patient outcomes.
