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Research Studies is a compilation of published research articles funded by AHRQ or authored by AHRQ researchers.
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1 to 2 of 2 Research Studies DisplayedXie A, Koontz DW, Colantuoni EA
Application of participatory ergonomics to the dissemination of a quality improvement program for optimizing blood culture use.
The overuse of blood cultures in pediatric ICUs (PICUs) may lead to the unnecessary utilization of antibiotics and related resistance to antibiotics. The purpose of this study was to utilize a participatory ergonomics (PE) approach to disseminate a quality improvement (QI) program for optimizing blood culture use in PICUs and assess the dissemination process and its impact on blood culture reduction. The study found that overall, the participating sites were able to implement the program successfully and reduce their blood culture rates from 149.4 blood cultures per 1,000 patient-days/month before implementation to 100.5 blood cultures per 1,000 patient-days/month after implementation. Differences in the dissemination process, as well as in local interventions and implementation strategies, were observed across sites. Site-specific variations in the rates of blood cultures were weakly negatively associated with the number of preintervention interactions with the coordinating team but not associated with their experiences with the six domains of the dissemination process or their interventions.
AHRQ-funded; HS025642; HS025238.
Citation: Xie A, Koontz DW, Colantuoni EA .
Application of participatory ergonomics to the dissemination of a quality improvement program for optimizing blood culture use.
Jt Comm J Qual Patient Saf 2023 Oct; 49(10):529-38. doi: 10.1016/j.jcjq.2023.06.004..
Keywords: Quality Improvement, Quality of Care, Children/Adolescents, Intensive Care Unit (ICU)
Lefrak L, Schaffer KE, Bohnert J
Blood culture procedures and practices in the neonatal intensive care unit: a survey of a large multicenter collaborative in California.
The objective of this Web-based survey was to describe variation in bedside and laboratory-level blood culture practices in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs). Participants were 28 NICUs in an antimicrobial stewardship quality improvement program in the California Perinatal Quality Care Collaborative. Results showed that recommended practices for blood culturing were not routinely performed. Most NICUs did not have a procedural competency, did not document sample volume, did not receive a culture contamination report, and/or did not require reporting to the provider if less than 1 mL of blood was drawn. Skin asepsis procedure varied across NICUs.
AHRQ-funded; HS026168.
Citation: Lefrak L, Schaffer KE, Bohnert J .
Blood culture procedures and practices in the neonatal intensive care unit: a survey of a large multicenter collaborative in California.
Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2023 Oct; 44(10):1576=81. doi: 10.1017/ice.2023.33..
Keywords: Newborns/Infants, Intensive Care Unit (ICU), Inpatient Care, Quality of Care