A Learning Health Community BrighT STAR

The BrighT STAR (Testing STewardship for Antibiotic Reduction) Learning Health Community includes children’s hospitals across the United States and internationally with a common mission to support and optimize diagnostic stewardship quality improvement programs to:

  • safely reduce unnecessary testing and treatment
  • decrease antibiotic resistance
  • provide high-value care

Considerations to Reduce Pediatric Blood Cultures

BD Diagnostics, Inc. has reported an interruption in the production of BACTEC pediatric and adult aerobic and anaerobic blood culture bottles through September 2024. While blood cultures are the primary diagnostic test to diagnose bloodstream infections, many are obtained when the suspicion of a bloodstream infection is low. We encourage everyone to be proactive and help preserve our blood culture bottle supply.


New Blood Draw Protocol Could Minimize Risk for Critically Ill Children

Researchers at Johns Hopkins Children's Center and Children's Hospital of Philadelphia have found that fostering cross-departmental collaboration and offering guidelines to clinicians helped reduce the number of unnecessary blood draws on some of the smallest and most vulnerable patients.

Contact BrighT STAR

E-mail BrighT STAR

To learn more about BrighT STAR or get involved, please e-mail us.

Connect with BrighT STAR

To stay up-to-date with what's happening with BrighT STAR, connect with us on LinkedIn.

Donate to BrighT STAR

If you would like to donate, click the link and select the Bright STAR Learning Health Community as your designation.