Effects of Blood Volume Monitoring on the Rate of Positive Blood Cultures from the Emergency Room

per bottle (post-intervention) (P0.0001). The rate of positive blood culture post-intervention (12.14%) was higher than that pre-intervention (6.65%) (P0.0001). The contamination rate post-intervention (1.82%) was also significantly greater than that pre-intervention (0.60%) (P0.0001). Except for anaerobes, there was no significant difference in the distribution of microorganisms between the pre- and post-intervention periods. The TTP for anaerobe bottles post-intervention was significantly shorter than that of pre-intervention (16.1±16.3 versus 18.6±18.3 h). Conclusion: This study suggests that continuing education about adequate blood volume and aseptic techniques is needed to increase the rate of positive blood cultures and reduce the contamination rate of blood cultures. (Ann Clin Microbiol 2016;19:70-76)