Academic literature review: IPC Partnership with Kurin

Advancing the evidence base for blood culture contamination prevention

IPC Partners collaborated with Kurin on the development and publication of an academic literature review that explores the evidence surrounding blood culture contamination and approaches to its prevention using blood culture diversion devices. This partnership reflects a shared commitment to strengthening infection prevention practice through rigorous engagement with the published literature and transparent dissemination of findings.

The resulting review has been published in a peer‑reviewed international journal (the Journal of Hospital Infection) ensuring that the insights generated through this collaboration are accessible to clinicians, researchers, vascular access and IPC professionals worldwide to inform best practice for reducing rates of blood culture contamination.

The challenge

Blood culture contamination remains a persistent challenge for healthcare systems, with implications for patient experience, antimicrobial stewardship, laboratory workload, and healthcare costs. While a growing body of research exists, vascular access and IPC professionals and clinical leaders often face difficulty navigating and interpreting an evolving evidence base.

The partnership approach

Kurin sought to support informed, evidence‑based discussion by facilitating an independent academic review to synthesis published research in this area as a narrative review aimed at front line practitioners.

IPC Partners worked in collaboration with Kurin to:

• Convene an expert group, with skills and experience to undertake this review
• Scope and contextualise the literature, ensuring relevance to infection prevention and clinical practice
• Support academic rigor, aligning the review with established standards for academic publication
• Translate complex evidence into an accessible narrative, suitable for a broad clinical audience including IPC, vascular access leads and clinical microbiologists.

This approach reflects IPC Partners’ broader mission to act as a bridge between research, policy, and frontline practice, while maintaining editorial independence and academic integrity.

The outcome

The academic literature review in Journal of Hospital Infection provided:

• A consolidated overview of existing research relevant to blood culture contamination
• A credible, citable resource for vascular access and IPC professionals, clinicians, and researchers
• A platform for informed discussion about current evidence and future research needs

For IPC Partners, this project demonstrates how collaboration with industry partners can:

• Promote evidence‑based IPC practice without compromising scientific independence
• Support knowledge translation from academia to clinical settings
• Encourage engagement with the literature rather than reliance on anecdote or assumption

For Kurin, the review provides an academically robust contribution to discussions around blood culture contamination, reinforcing the importance of grounding innovation and practice in peer‑reviewed evidence.