Physician researchers in the division of hospital medicine and the division of infectious diseases collaborated for the study “Frequency and yield of blood cultures for observation patients with skin and soft tissue infections,” published this month in the American Journal of Emergency Medicine.
The study was designed to measure frequency and yield of blood cultures obtained for observation status in adult patients with skin and soft tissue infection (SSTI). The team described how often blood cultures were performed according to the Infectious Diseases Society of American guidelines and identified the proportion of patients meeting the Center for Medicare Services sepsis criteria. The results highlight the need for further quality improvement efforts to reduce unnecessary blood cultures in routine SSTI cases.
The authors include Emily Sturkie, MD, Carlton Moore, MD, Christopher Caulfield, MD, Erin Schmid, ANP, Anne Lachiewicz, MD, and John Stephens, MD.
Read the article here.