Blood culture quality improvement: Application of Deming's PDSA model in the microbiology laboratory

Blood cultures are essential for the diagnosis of bacteremia and in guiding antimicrobial therapy. False negative results, due to insufficient blood volume, may have a negative impact on patient care. Using Deming's Plan Do Study Act (PDSA) methodology, this project aimed to improve the process of collecting blood cultures. The quality principles implemented in this project delineate an action plan that laboratories can apply to improve their process performance. Standardization of processes and implementation of an effective educational program were key components to the success of the improvement project. The outcome of this project was a significant reduction of 90% in the rate of blood culture bottles with less than optimal volume. This reduction is expected to have a positive impact in patient care. The project demonstrated that PDSA was an effective tool for quality improvement efforts that can be applied to clinical laboratories settings with remarkable outcomes.