Do Pediatric Residents Collect Blood Culture with the Appropriate Technique?

Introduction: Blood culture is the “gold standard” test for detecting microorganisms in the blood. The American Society for Microbiology recommends keeping blood culture contamination rates below 3%. The study aimed to evaluate whether pediatric residents working in our hospital collect blood cultures with appropriate techniques. Materials and Methods: A blood culture checklist was prepared based on national and international guidelines. The pediatric residents were asked to obtain blood cultures from a model arm. Meanwhile, they were observed by a pediatric infectious disease specialist and an infection control nurse. No intervention was made to the residents during the observation. Results: A total of 70 residents were observed. It was observed that 27.1% (n= 19) of the residents provided proper hand hygiene. Povidone-iodine (80%, n= 56) was the most preferred skin antiseptic, and 70% alcohol was used as a skin antiseptic by 20% (n= 14) of the residents. Twenty two point nince percent of the residents (n= 16) waited for the appropriate time after applying alcohol or povidone-iodine. Seventeen point one percent of the residents took blood in the volume appropriate for the patient’s body weight. Conclusion: It was observed that residents had low compliance with the standards while taking blood culture which is a problem that has to be improved.