Assessment of a Proposed Microbiological Alert and Its Impact on a Sepsis Campaign

Not Applicable

Completed

• Conditions: Sepsis
• Interventions: Other: Telephone call

• Registration Number: NCT02325258
• Lead Sponsor: Emilio Bouza

Brief Summary

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the ability of health-care professionals in addressing sepsis, and the impact of a telephone call upon receival of blood cultures in the clinical microbiology department, from a clinical microbiologist, in the early management of sepsis.

Detailed Description

Sepsis is one of the major challenges of modern medicine. It is an important health problem with a high incidence, morbidity and mortality that affects population worldwide. Without an early recognition and a prompt management, patients can develop more severe stages of the disease and even death. An appropriate and aggressive management can significantly improve outcomes. Thus, it is necessary to develop early warning systems of sepsis in the hospital.

In recent years, several campaigns and guidelines have been developed to help health care professionals in the management of sepsis. However, these have mainly focused on management protocols for severe sepsis and septic shock in intensive care units or emergency departments. To the best of the investigators knowledge, none of these have examined in depth either the impact of a sepsis alert system in general wards, nor the impact of a telephone call from a specialist in Clinical Microbiology, upon blood culture request, in the early recognition of sepsis.

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the ability of health-care professionals in addressing sepsis, and the impact of a telephone call upon receival of blood cultures in the clinical microbiology department, from a clinical microbiologist, in the early management of sepsis.

For this, the investigators performed a prospective study based on telephone calls followed by a phone interview to physicians and nurses in charge of patients whose blood cultures had just been received at the clinical microbiology department in a tertiary hospital.

Study Timeline

• Study Start: 2012-08
• Primary Completion: 2013-01
• Study Completion: 2013-01
• Status Verified: 2014-12
• Study First Submitted: 2014-12-19
• Study First Submitted QC: 2014-12-23
• Study First Posted: 2014-12-24
• Last Update Submitted: 2014-12-29
• Last Update Posted: 2014-12-30

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: COMPLETED
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 300

Inclusion Criteria

• Patients who had blood cultures drawn and sent to the Microbiology Laboratory, during the morning shift (from 9 am to 3 pm, Monday to Friday)
• Patients >/=18 years old

Exclusion Criteria

• Patients <18 years old
• Patients with a recent bacteremic episode with no subsequent negative blood cultures
• In-patients with blood cultures drawn to whom the telephone call had already been performed.

Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: PARALLEL

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
Telephone call	Telephone call	Telephone call to physicians in charge of patients who have just had blood cultures drawn. Diagnostic and therapeutic recommendations to physicians in charge.

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Sepsis recognition in patients who had blood cultures drawn	72 h	Use of diagnostic resources and antimicrobial consumption

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Health care professionals who correctly identify a case of sepsis	72 h

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Servicio de Microbiologia y Enfermedades Infecciosas; 🇪🇸 Madrid, Spain