Question

The microbiology manager has noticed a significant increase in contaminated blood cultures this month.

Contamination occurs due to improper phlebotomy technique (i.e., not thoroughly cleaning the puncture site prior to specimen collection) allowing skin flora to enter the culture bottle. This can result in the patient being prescribed antibiotics that are not needed. Their hospital stay may also be extended in order to r/o sepsis.

Blood cultures are collected by phlebotomists from the laboratory and by nurses on the floors.

You are the Allied Health and Nursing Education Coordinator for the hospital.

Use the PDCA tool to develop a plan of action that will help decrease the number of contaminated cultures.

Answer 1

Being a Allied Health and Nursing Education Coordinator the following plan of action can be planned

• Educating the phlebotomist
• strictly following handwashing techniques
• The skin has to be cleaned with the standard alcohol solution or swab and allow it t dry before pricking
• The culture bottle (head) has to be cleaned with the alcohol swab before pricking the culture bottle to introduce the blood
• Training the phelobotomist about patient problem due to wrong techniques and its complication
• The side effects of antibiotic administered to the patients due to wrong report has to be insisted
• Open the culture bottle cap only when blood sample is collected
• Proper documentation to be done
• The right quantaty of blood