• B Parish, T Cooksley, and P Haji-Michael.
• University of Manchester.
• Acute Med. 2013 Jan 1;12(4):196-200.

IntroductionFirst dose intravenous antimicrobial therapy should be administered within 1 hour of admission but this is achieved in a minority of patients.MethodsWe performed a retrospective analysis at the largest Oncology hospital in Europe. Nurse-led administration of initial antibiotic therapy was introduced to the admissions unit.ResultsThe nurse led protocol increased compliance with the 1 hour target from 40% to 88.6%. There was a statistically significant decrease in the mean length of stay (p=0.045) which was more pronounced in the neutropenic population (p=0.006). There was a trend to improved 30 day mortality.ConclusionsA nurse led protocol can be effective in improving compliance with the 1 hour target. Early administration of intravenous antibiotics in cancer patients with sepsis is associated with a shorter length of inpatient stay and a trend to decreased mortality.

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