Blood Cultures Prior to Antibiotic Treatment

Why is this important?

Different type of bacteria can cause pneumonia.  A blood culture is a test that lets the health care provider know which bacteria caused your pneumonia and which antibiotic should be prescribed to treat it.  The test also lets the health care provider know if any precautions are necessary to prevent the spread of your illness.

It is best to do this test within 24 hours of arrival at the hospital and before the patient is given antibiotics.  It also is important that patients begin taking antibiotics as soon as possible. 

How WellSpan Compares

Last year, York Hospital and Gettysburg Hospital treated 1,033 patients with pneumonia.  The following shows the percentage of patients (for whom a blood culture test is appropriate) who received a blood culture test prior to receiving their first dose of antibiotics.

Unit of Measurement: Percentage

A higher score is better than a lower score.

York Hospital result added on 09/30/2008
Gettysburg Hospital result added on 12/31/2008

What we are doing to improve our performance.

WellSpan has formed a special team, known as the “Pneumonia Clinical Effectiveness Team,” to work with doctors and nurses who care for pneumonia patients at York Hospital and Gettysburg Hospital.  This group meets regularly to analyze current medical literature on pneumonia and to assess WellSpan’s performance in treating it effectively.    WellSpan has closely reviewed and revised the forms doctors and nurses use and the policies and procedures they follow to make sure that everyone who should receive a blood culture test does receive a blood culture test before taking an antibiotic.  In addition, nurses are working to perform blood culture tests on patients with fever and shortness of breath before they are seen by a doctor.   WellSpan has educated nurses and doctors on the importance of blood cultures before antibiotics are given.  The Infectious Disease Society of America’s (IDSA) guidelines are changing in early 2007, recommending blood cultures may only be necessary in higher risk pneumonia patients.  The Pneumonia Clinical Effectiveness Team will review the new guidelines and incorporate them into the way pneumonia patients are treated.