[Best practices for blood culture collection].

Blood cultures are among the most commonly ordered tests in hospitals, frequently carried out as a matter of routine whenever a patient has a fever. However, only 5% of these are positive, and nearly half could be avoided given the lack of clinical indication. This article proposes a structured approach to determining the indication for taking blood cultures, based on the probability of detecting bacteremia according to symptoms, the suspected site of infection and laboratory parameters, on the availability of diagnostic alternatives, and on the potential impact of the result on patient management. The article also details the criteria for high-quality blood collection to optimize diagnostic yield whilst minimizing unnecessary tests.