Evaluation of hemoculture extraction technique in an emergency department: nursing staff self-perception and reality

Between 2009 and 2010, the rate of contamination of hemocultures drawn in our emergency department was much higher than the quality standards recommended, so we decided to check the extraction procedure of the samples to detect possible faults. We also wanted to study the perception of the nursing staff about the quality of their practice.

This is a prospective study developed in 2 phases. In the first phase, medical staff observed the extraction of hemocultures. In the second phase, an anonymous test was sent to the nursing staff of the emergency department.

We observed major faults in the extraction procedure. Of the 10 items checked, only 2 had a compliance rate greater than 50%. There were significant differences between test answers and data recovered from observation in 7 items.

Several technical deficiencies were observed in the procedure for extraction of blood cultures. This fact partly explains the high rate of contamination found in our emergency department.