Quality indicators and turnaround time for blood culture in pediatric patients: 1 year of monitoring in 19 Chinese hospitals.

BACKGROUND: Blood culture is the primary method for confirming bloodstream infections, yet quality indicators in pediatric blood cultures vary widely due to the lack of targeted management strategies. Therefore, this study aims to provide a foundation for optimizing blood culture quality management in pediatric patients by analyzing blood culture data from 19 hospitals. METHODS: Blood culture data in pediatric patients, comprising a total of 44,397 specimens were included in statistical analysis from January 1 to December 31, 2021. Quality indicators, including positive rates, contamination rates, and specimen processing times, were evaluated along with the identification of common clinical microorganisms. RESULTS: The positive rates, delivery rates, and contamination rates of blood cultures across 19 hospitals were analyzed. Before the blood culture test, specimen collection predominantly occurred between 10:00 a.m. and 00:59 a.m. the next day, while specimen reception and loading were mainly concentrated from 08:00 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. The pre-analytical turnaround time was the longest between 08:00 a.m. and 08:59 a.m. Gram staining, organism identification and AST reports were most frequently issued between 08:00 a.m. and 11:59 a.m. Among the identified microorganisms, 9 bacterial isolates (n = 929) and 1 Candida species (n = 52) were most common in pediatric patients. The turnaround times for AST reports were 2.90 (2.27-3.55) days for bacterial isolates and 3.88 (3.29-4.56) days for Candida species. CONCLUSION: Pediatric blood culture quality indicators showed significant inter-hospital variability. The multiple steps involved in blood culture processing contribute to delays in report issuance, indicating the need for further optimization of the pediatric blood culture workflow.