Sepsis Alert – a triage model that reduces time to antibiotics and length of hospital stay
Rosenqvist, Mari LU ; Fagerstrand, Emma ; Lanbeck, Peter LU ; Melander, Olle LU
and Åkesson, Per
LU
(2017)
In Infectious Diseases
49(7).
p.507-513
- Abstract
Objective: To study if a modified triage system at an Emergency Department (ED) combined with educational efforts resulted in reduced time to antibiotics and decreased length of hospital stay (LOS) for patients with severe infection. Methods: A retrospective, observational study comparing patients before and after the start of a new triage model at the ED of a University Hospital. After the implementation of the model, patients with fever and abnormal vital signs were triaged into a designated sepsis line (Sepsis Alert) for rapid evaluation by the attending physician supported by a infectious diseases (IDs) specialist. Also, all ED staff participated in a designated sepsis education before Sepsis Alert was introduced. Medical records... (More)
Objective: To study if a modified triage system at an Emergency Department (ED) combined with educational efforts resulted in reduced time to antibiotics and decreased length of hospital stay (LOS) for patients with severe infection. Methods: A retrospective, observational study comparing patients before and after the start of a new triage model at the ED of a University Hospital. After the implementation of the model, patients with fever and abnormal vital signs were triaged into a designated sepsis line (Sepsis Alert) for rapid evaluation by the attending physician supported by a infectious diseases (IDs) specialist. Also, all ED staff participated in a designated sepsis education before Sepsis Alert was introduced. Medical records were evaluated for patients during a 3-month period after the triage system was started in 2012, and also during the corresponding months in 2010 and 2014. Results: A total of 1837 patients presented with abnormal vital signs. Of these, 221 patients presented with fever and thus at risk of having severe sepsis. Among patients triaged according to the new model, median time to antibiotics was 58.5 at startup and 24.5 minutes at follow-up two years later. This was significantly less than for patients treated before the new model, 190 minutes. Also, median LOS was significantly decreased after introduction of the new triage model, from nine to seven days. Conclusions: A triage model at the ED with special attention to severe sepsis patients, led to sustained improvements of time to antibiotic treatment and LOS.
(Less)
- author
- Rosenqvist, Mari
LU
; Fagerstrand, Emma
; Lanbeck, Peter
LU
; Melander, Olle
LU
and Åkesson, Per
LU
- organization
- publishing date
- 2017-02-21
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- Emergency Department, length of hospital stay, Sepsis, severe sepsis, time to antibiotics
- in
- Infectious Diseases
- volume
- 49
- issue
- 7
- pages
- 507 - 513
- publisher
- Informa Healthcare
- external identifiers
-
- scopus:85014466327
- pmid:28276800
- pmid:28276800
- wos:000399555100004
- ISSN
- 2374-4235
- DOI
- 10.1080/23744235.2017.1293840
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- e4507000-f7f8-4868-9966-a7ae9c7f9b38
- date added to LUP
- 2017-03-17 17:36:53
- date last changed
- 2024-03-31 06:26:33
@article{e4507000-f7f8-4868-9966-a7ae9c7f9b38,
abstract = {{<p>Objective: To study if a modified triage system at an Emergency Department (ED) combined with educational efforts resulted in reduced time to antibiotics and decreased length of hospital stay (LOS) for patients with severe infection. Methods: A retrospective, observational study comparing patients before and after the start of a new triage model at the ED of a University Hospital. After the implementation of the model, patients with fever and abnormal vital signs were triaged into a designated sepsis line (Sepsis Alert) for rapid evaluation by the attending physician supported by a infectious diseases (IDs) specialist. Also, all ED staff participated in a designated sepsis education before Sepsis Alert was introduced. Medical records were evaluated for patients during a 3-month period after the triage system was started in 2012, and also during the corresponding months in 2010 and 2014. Results: A total of 1837 patients presented with abnormal vital signs. Of these, 221 patients presented with fever and thus at risk of having severe sepsis. Among patients triaged according to the new model, median time to antibiotics was 58.5 at startup and 24.5 minutes at follow-up two years later. This was significantly less than for patients treated before the new model, 190 minutes. Also, median LOS was significantly decreased after introduction of the new triage model, from nine to seven days. Conclusions: A triage model at the ED with special attention to severe sepsis patients, led to sustained improvements of time to antibiotic treatment and LOS.</p>}},
author = {{Rosenqvist, Mari and Fagerstrand, Emma and Lanbeck, Peter and Melander, Olle and Åkesson, Per}},
issn = {{2374-4235}},
keywords = {{Emergency Department; length of hospital stay; Sepsis; severe sepsis; time to antibiotics}},
language = {{eng}},
month = {{02}},
number = {{7}},
pages = {{507--513}},
publisher = {{Informa Healthcare}},
series = {{Infectious Diseases}},
title = {{Sepsis Alert – a triage model that reduces time to antibiotics and length of hospital stay}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/23744235.2017.1293840}},
doi = {{10.1080/23744235.2017.1293840}},
volume = {{49}},
year = {{2017}},
}