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Mixed-methods multicenter assessment of healthcare workers’ knowledge, perceptions, and practices related to blood culture utilization in hospitalized adults

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 December 2024

Valeria Fabre Open the ORCID record for Valeria Fabre [Opens in a new window] ,
Sara E. Cosgrove ,
Aaron M. Milstone Open the ORCID record for Aaron M. Milstone [Opens in a new window] ,
Alejandra B. Salinas Open the ORCID record for Alejandra B. Salinas [Opens in a new window] ,
Kathleen O. Degnan ,
Erin B. Gettler Open the ORCID record for Erin B. Gettler [Opens in a new window] ,
Laurel J. Glaser ,
J. Kristie Johnson ,
Rebekah W. Moehring Open the ORCID record for Rebekah W. Moehring [Opens in a new window]  and
George E. Nelson Open the ORCID record for George E. Nelson [Opens in a new window]
...Show all authors
Valeria Fabre*
Affiliation:
Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
Sara E. Cosgrove
Affiliation:
Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
Aaron M. Milstone
Affiliation:
Department of Pediatrics, Division of Infectious Diseases, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
Alejandra B. Salinas
Affiliation:
Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
Kathleen O. Degnan
Affiliation:
University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
Erin B. Gettler
Affiliation:
Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
Laurel J. Glaser
Affiliation:
University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
J. Kristie Johnson
Affiliation:
University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
Rebekah W. Moehring
Affiliation:
Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
George E. Nelson
Affiliation:
Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA
Barry Rittmann
Affiliation:
Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA
Guillermo Rodriguez-Nava
Affiliation:
Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
Jonathan H. Ryder
Affiliation:
Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, USA
Jorge L. Salinas
Affiliation:
Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
Gregory M. Schrank
Affiliation:
University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
Thomas R. Talbot
Affiliation:
Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA
Trevor C. Van Schooneveld
Affiliation:
Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, USA
Anastasia Wasylyshyn
Affiliation:
University of Michigan Health, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
Anping Xie
Affiliation:
Armstrong Institute for Patient Safety and Quality, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
*
Corresponding author: Valeria Fabre; Email: [email protected]
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Abstract

Objective:

To understand healthcare workers’ (HCWs) beliefs and practices toward blood culture (BCx) use.

Design:

Cross-sectional electronic survey and semi-structured interviews.

Setting:

Academic hospitals in the United States.

Participants:

HCWs involved in BCx ordering and collection in adult intensive care units (ICU) and wards.

Methods:

We administered an anonymous electronic survey to HCWs and conducted semi-structured interviews with unit staff and quality improvement (QI) leaders in these institutions to understand their perspectives regarding BCx stewardship between February and November 2023.

Results:

Of 314 HCWs who responded to the survey, most (67.4%) were physicians and were involved in BCx ordering (82.3%). Most survey respondents reported that clinicians had a low threshold to culture patients for fever (84.4%) and agreed they could safely reduce the number of BCx obtained in their units (65%). However, only half of them believed BCx was overused. Although most made BCx decisions as a team (74.1%), a minority reported these team discussions occurred daily (42.4%). A third of respondents reported not usually collecting the correct volume per BCx bottle, half were unaware of the improved sensitivity of 2 BCx sets, and most were unsure of the nationally recommended BCx contamination threshold (87.5%). Knowledge regarding the utility of BCx for common infections was limited.

Conclusions:

HCWs’ understanding of best collection practices and yield of BCx was limited.

Type
Original Article
Information
Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology , Volume 46 , Issue 2 , February 2025 , pp. 156 - 164
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Copyright
© The Author(s), 2024. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America

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