Dr. Jessica Seidelman: Implementation of a blood culture algorithm in emergency department patients as a diagnostic stewardship intervention
Blood culture is one of the most important tests in the clinical microbiology laboratory. Blood culture is the gold standard for diagnosing bloodstream infection and bacteremia. However, in the United States, blood cultures are still performed even for emergency patients with a low probability of bacteremia, which may result in a large waste of resources. At IDWeek 2023, a study reported the implementation of a blood culture algorithm in emergency department patients as a diagnostic stewardship intervention.