For a study, researchers sought to analyze data from 15 hospitals on adult patients suffering from severe sepsis or septic shock to assess the efficacy of a hospital-wide multidisciplinary program as part of an electronic sepsis alert tool. An Epic sepsis prediction tool, education, and standardized order sets were implemented in 9 intervention hospitals (6 control hospitals did not). Their effectiveness was assessed using a difference-in-difference method: the pre-implementation period (from January 1, 2016, to November 15, 2018) and the implementation period (November 16, 2018-June, 30, 2019). The outcomes of 6,926 patients included mortality, receipt of the SEP-1 bundle of care, broad-spectrum antibiotic use, ICU stay, and length of stay. The difference in SEP-1 bundle completion between the intervention and control groups was not statistically significant (P=0.105). The increase in time for antibiotic administration less than equal to 1 hour after time zero was not greater in the intervention group (11.7%) than in the control group (7.6%, P=0.084). The differences in mortality (P=0.174), ICU stays (P=0.174), and length of stay (P=0.652) between hospitals in both groups were not statistically significant. The intervention to improve patient outcomes in severe sepsis or septic shock did not improve patient outcomes.
Source:www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0883944122000909
