Can diagnostic stewardship reduce the harms of blood culture contamination?
Published
January 19, 2026
Source
Warren W Acker, Husain Poonawala
Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol.
2026 Mar;47(3):322-324. Epub 2026 Jan 19.
PMID: 41549762
Abstract
Blood culture contamination (BCC) leads to increased costs and patient harms. We reviewed 525 BCC cases and found 71.2% of BCC cases were ordered for indications with low risk for bacteremia and most received unnecessary tests and antibiotics. Diagnostic stewardship of blood cultures may reduce BCC and its associated costs.
Posted by
Levy CIMAR