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Weekend effect on blood culture contamination: an observational study at a university hospital in Japan

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 March 2025

Kazuhiko Nakaharai Open the ORCID record for Kazuhiko Nakaharai [Opens in a new window] ,
Yoichi Shinozaki ,
Taku Tamura ,
Yasushi Nakazawa  and
Masaki Yoshida
Kazuhiko Nakaharai*
Affiliation:
Department of Infectious Diseases and Infection Control, Jikei University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
Yoichi Shinozaki
Affiliation:
Department of Infection Control, Jikei University Hospital, Tokyo, Japan
Taku Tamura
Affiliation:
Department of Central Clinical Laboratory, Jikei University Hospital, Tokyo, Japan
Yasushi Nakazawa
Affiliation:
Department of Infectious Diseases and Infection Control, Jikei University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan Department of Infection Control, Jikei University Hospital, Tokyo, Japan
Masaki Yoshida
Affiliation:
Department of Infectious Diseases and Infection Control, Jikei University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
*
Corresponding author: Kazuhiko Nakaharai; Email: [email protected]
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Abstract

Background:

An association between weekend/off-hour care and unfavorable clinical outcomes has been observed, commonly called the “weekend effect.” In the present study, we examined whether there was a weekend effect associated with blood culture (BC) contamination, which can lead to inappropriate medical resource consumption.

Methods:

We conducted a single-center retrospective observational study using data from BC tests performed on adult patients. The primary outcome was the incidence of BC contamination, which was compared between weekend and weekday sampling groups. In a multivariable logistic analysis, we evaluated the association between weekend sampling and the incidence of BC contamination.

Results:

The analysis included 7,597 weekend and 50,655 weekday BC sets from 1 January 2013 to 31 December 2019. The proportion of BC contamination during the study period was 1.15% (87/7,597) and 0.80% (405/50,655) in the weekend and weekday groups, respectively. In the logistic regression analysis adjusted for blood sampling settings, weekend sampling was significantly associated with increased BC contamination (odds ratio, 1.36; 95% confidence interval, 1.06–1.71).

Conclusions:

This study highlighted a significant association between weekend blood sampling for BC and an increased incidence of contamination. To provide better-quality care, further studies evaluating the differences in staffing and blood collection processes on weekends and weekdays are warranted.

Type
Original Article
Information
Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology , First View , pp. 1 - 6
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Copyright
© The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America

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