Time to use of Intravenous Antibiotics in Patients with Sepsis in whom Activation of Sepsis Fast Track Protocol Facilitated by the National Early Warning Score

Aim: To examine changes in door-to-antibiotic time in pre- and post-intervention groups.
Materials and Methods: A quasi-experimental study was conducted in the Emergency Department (ED) of adult patients who were diagnosed with sepsis or septic shock in university-based hospital. The patients were defined as being in one of two groups, either a pre-intervention or post-intervention group. In the post-intervention group, patients with a suspected infection and a National Early Warning Score (NEWS) ≥5, the sepsis fast track protocol was used in the normotensive group and the sepsis with shock fast track protocol was used in the hypotensive group. Our primary outcome was the difference in door-to-antibiotic time in pre- and post-intervention groups.
Results: One hundred and seventeen patients were in the pre-intervention group and 102 patients in the post-intervention group. The median door-to-antibiotic time in the pre-intervention group was 45 minutes (interquartile range (IQR) 30 to 65) and the median door-to-antibiotic time in the post-intervention group was 30 minutes (IQR 20 to 55, p = 0.009). However, there was no significant difference in mortality rates (p = 0.194).
Conclusion: Use of the activated system using NEWS for screening patients who are suspected of sepsis helped reduce door-to-antibiotic time.