The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on blood culture practices and bloodstream infections. Journal Articles uri icon

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abstract

  • Bacterial infections are a significant cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, previous studies have demonstrated pandemic-related shifts in the epidemiology of bacterial bloodstream infections (BSIs) in the general population and in specific hospital systems. Our study uses a large, comprehensive data set stratified by setting [community, long-term care (LTC), and hospital] to uniquely demonstrate how the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on BSIs and testing practices varies by healthcare setting. We showed that, while the number of false-positive blood culture results generally increased during the pandemic, this effect did not apply to hospitalized patients. We also found that many infections were likely under-recognized in patients in the community and in LTC, demonstrating the importance of maintaining healthcare for these groups during crises. Last, we found a decrease in infections caused by certain pathogens in the community, suggesting some secondary benefits of pandemic-related public health measures.

authors

  • Driedger, Matt
  • Daneman, Nick
  • Brown, Kevin
  • Gold, Wayne L
  • Jorgensen, Sarah CJ
  • Maxwell, Colleen
  • Schwartz, Kevin L
  • Morris, Andrew M
  • Thiruchelvam, Deva
  • Langford, Bradley
  • Leung, Elizabeth
  • MacFadden, Derek

publication date

  • December 12, 2023