Contamination of blood culture (BC) specimens is a problem and there is no clear strategy with which to tackle issues surrounding attitudes towards training. Guidance on how to take a blood culture appropriately is available in individual hospitals, but proving competency of the operator can be problematic because of shift working patterns and movement from one area of a hospital to another within a short time period by junior doctors. It is clear from the Saving Lives campaign that BCs should be taken for the correct indication, at an appropriate time and, importantly, using the correct technique to avoid contamination.
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