Situation and Influencing Factors of Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice of nurses in Intensive Care Units on prevention of Blood Culture Contamination: A Multicenter Cross-sectional Study

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) of intensive care unit (ICU) nurses regarding blood culture contamination, analyze the factors influencing them, and provide nursing managers and ICU nurses with education on blood culture contamination, as well as a basis for blood culture training. Background: Blood culture contamination is a major challenge in Chinese ICUs, causing diagnostic inaccuracies and increased healthcare costs. Assessing ICU nurses’ KAP toward prevention of blood culture contamination is vital for informing strategies to enhance infection control and patient safety. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted from August to October 2024 among ICU nurses in 10 hospitals in China. Data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire, and the KAP instrument focused on preventing blood culture contamination. Multiple linear regression analysis was performed to identify the influencing factors, with statistical significance defined as ( P <0.05). Results: A total of 553 ICU nurses participated in this study. The total KAP score of ICU nurses for preventing blood culture contamination was 87.25 ± 17.31, with knowledge, attitude, and behavior scores of 7.24 ±2.76, 51.81 ± 9.94, and 28.20 ±4.61, respectively. Multiple regression analysis indicated that hospital grade, department, and professional title were significant predictors of knowledge ( P < 0.05). Attitudes were influenced by department, professional title, age, gender, education level, and leadership emphasis on blood culture contamination management ( P < 0.05). The practices were associated with hospital grade, department, professional title, age, gender, and leadership emphasis ( P < 0.05). Conclusion: ICU nurses exhibited a positive attitude and practice regarding blood culture contamination; however, their knowledge level was unsatisfactory and influenced by various factors. Nursing managers should enhance the training and skill assessment processes, as well as regularly standardize operational behavior. Simultaneously, hospitals can formulate relevant rules, regulations, and guidelines to reduce the occurrence of blood culture contamination.