March 3, 2026Open Access

Leveraging the electronic health records to mitigate the effects of a nation-wide shortage of blood culture bottles

Key Points

Blood culture bottle utilization decreased by 81%, indicating significant resource management success.
Order modifications within electronic health records were crucial for the initial reduction in bottle usage.
Integration of clinical decision support using LMA led to sustained improvements in utilization rates.
This approach suggests EHR optimization and data analytics could improve operational efficiency in healthcare.

Abstract

Combining EHR optimization, CDS via LMAs, and data analytics effectively mitigated a critical resource shortage, demonstrated by a sustained 81% reduction in blood culture bottle utilization without compromising patient care. EHR order modifications contributed to the initial reduction; LMAs sustained the decrease and were well-received compared to traditional alerts. Rapid development of data analytics reports supported data-driven operational decisions.

Leveraging the electronic health records to mitigate the effects of a nation-wide shortage of blood culture bottles

Key Points

Abstract

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