Rapid Diagnostic Stewardship and Blood Culture Use in a Pediatric Medical Center

Can restrictive diagnostic stewardship measures effectively reduce blood culture usage in a pediatric population?In this cohort study with 24 581 blood cultures from 7558 patient visits, enforcement of restrictive stewardship measures was associated with a rapid reduction in blood culture utilization while maintaining stable blood culture positivity rates both in the emergency department and inpatient units. Hospital mortality due to septic shock, readmission rates, and length of stay did not increase after the intervention.These findings suggest restrictive stewardship measures can effectively reduce blood culture utilization in pediatric settings, including among medically complex patients.

Corresponding Author: Jennifer Dien Bard, PhD, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, 4650 W Sunset Blvd Stop 32, Los Angeles, CA 90027 (jdienbard@chla.usc.edu).

Link to the article in your story

We encourage you to link out to this article in your story using the link below. It includes an access token that will give free access to the article for your readers up to one year after publication. (The link will be live after the article publishes and embargo is lifted.)

Please see the article for additional information, including full author list, author contributions and affiliations, conflict of interest and financial disclosures, and funding and support.

Need more information? Contact us.