ArticleBMJ open quality2025
Decreasing blood culture contamination rates in a rural emergency department: a quality improvement initiative.
Article in BMJ open quality, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed.
- Initial Specimen Diversion Devices for Emergency Department Blood Cultures May Reduce Contamination Rates and Costs: Structured Literature Review.The western journal of emergency medicine · 2026Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Blood culture contamination rates have been consistently above the national benchmark of 3% in the emergency department (ED) at Mosaic Life Care in St. Joseph, Missouri, USA. Contaminations contribute to negative patient outcomes including unnecessary antibiotic exposure, antibiotic resistance, prolonged hospital stays and delayed treatment plans. Reducing contamination rates is imperative to improving outcomes for both patients and the hospital. This study aimed to decrease blood culture contamination rates at a single, rural hospital institution in 7 months. Quality improvement frameworks guided the construction and implementation of the various countermeasures. Analysis of contamination data was conducted monthly and visualised in a run chart. Contamination rates decreased from 4.42%-3.51% (p<0.002) between September 2023 and October 2023 with Countermeasure 1. Rates fell to 2.9% in January 2024 through implementation of Countermeasure 2. Rates rose briefly to 3.5% in March 2024 but decreased to 2.8% in May 2024 following implementation of Countermeasure 3. Blood culture contamination rates in the ED declined significantly by increasing caregiver awareness via strategic environmental signage and renovating orientation education. The sustainability of this progress requires continued efforts. Maintenance of contamination rates below the national benchmark is targeted with continuous collaboration between clinical partners. This initiative demonstrated the importance of interdepartmental collaboration and communication with all stakeholders involved in quality improvement measures.
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