Guideline for the optimal use of blood cultures

The goal of culturing blood is to determine whether a pathogenic microorganism(s) is responsible for the patient’s clinical presentation. ‘False positive’ results occur when a skin commensal(s) rather than a true pathogenic organism is grown. Proper cleaning of the skin is a vital component of venesection to reduce the false-positive rate, yet poor technique is common when collecting blood for culture. This lapse results in inappropriate use of antibiotics, increased antibiotic resistance and prolonged hospital stay. A further barrier to correct laboratory interpretation of blood culture results is inadequate relevant clinical details on the accompanying request form. These guidelines contextualise the place of blood cultures in the management of sepsis and detail the appropriate method for