Effect of a training programme on blood culture contamination rate in critical care. / Efecto de una acción formativa en cuidados intensivos sobre la tasa de contaminación de hemocultivos.

Blood culture contamination can occur from extraction to processing; its rate should not exceed 3%. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the impact of a training programme on the rate of contaminated blood cultures after the implementation of sample extraction recommendations based on the best evidence. METHOD: Prospective before-after study in a polyvalent intensive care unit with 18 beds. Two phases were established (January-June 2012, October 2012-October 2015) with a training period between them. Main recommendations: sterile technique, surgical mask, double skin disinfection (70° alcohol and 2% alcoholic chlorhexidine), 70° alcohol disinfection of culture flasks and injection of samples without changing needles. Including all blood cultures of patients with extraction request. VARIABLES: demographic, severity, pathology, reason for admission, stay and results of blood cultures (negative, positive and contaminated). Basic descriptive statistics: mean (standard deviation), median (interquartile range) and percentage (95% confidence interval). Calculated contamination rates per 100 blood cultures extracted. Bivariate analysis between periods. RESULTS: Four hundred and eight patients were included. Eight hundred and forty-one blood cultures were taken, 33 of which were contaminated. In the demographic variables, severity, diagnosis and stay of patients with contaminated samples, no differences were observed from those with uncontaminated samples. Pre-training vs post-training contamination rates: 14 vs 5.6 per 100 blood cultures extracted (P=.00003). CONCLUSION: An evidence-based training programme reduced the contamination of samples. It is necessary to continue working on the planning of activities and care to improve the detection of pollutants and prevent contamination of samples.

Television viewing, psychological positive health, health complaints and health risk behaviors in Spanish children and adolescents.

AIM: The aim of this study was to study the correlation of television viewing with positive and negative health in youth. METHODS: The present cross-sectional study comprised a total of 680 children and adolescents aged 6-17.9 (46% girls) representative of the province of Cádiz (south Spain). We used the Health Behavior in School-aged Children questionnaire to assess television viewing, positive and negative health. RESULTS: It was found that correlations between television viewing >2 hours and several outcomes were inconsistent. No effects were found for quality of family relationships, quality of peer relationships, perceived academic performance and health risk behaviors in children, or with perceived excellent health status, excellent life satisfaction, quality of peer relationships, perceived academic performance and health risk behaviors in adolescents. However viewing >2 hours of television was correlated with lower quality family relations in adolescents, and lower perceived excellent health status, lower life satisfaction and higher health complaints index in children. Correction for multiple comparisons would render all television relationships as non-significant. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that negative television influences on children and adolescents are minimal. However excessive television viewing may be symptomatic of other underlying mental health problems for some children.