Cost Effective Blood Cultures—Is It Possible or Impossible to Modify Behavior?

Why are blood cultures drawn? Is there a purpose to the blood culture or is it a reflex reaction to a fever? Nurse says, “patient has fever,” Doctor replies “draw blood culture.” I fear that the latter is all too often the scenario that exists in the hospital today. As we enter an era where the extra laboratory tests do not “make money, keep the techs employed and justify the lab,” we must re-examine the rationale for blood cultures.