Adherence to surviving sepsis guidelines among pediatric intensivists. A national survey

Measuring evidence-based clinical guideline compliance in the paediatric intensive care unit

BACKGROUND

Evidence-based clinical care guidelines improve medical treatment by reducing error, improving outcomes and possibly lowering healthcare costs. While some data exist on individual guideline compliance, no data exist on overall compliance to multiple nuanced guidelines in a paediatric intensive care setting.

METHODS

Guideline compliance was observed and measured with a prospective cohort at a tertiary academic paediatric medical-surgical intensive care unit. Adherence to 19 evidence-based clinical care guidelines was evaluated in 814 patients, and reasons for non-compliance were noted along with other associated outcomes.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS

Overall facility compliance was unexpectedly high at 77.8% over 4512 compliance events, involving 826 admissions. Compliance varied widely between guidelines. Guidelines with the highest compliance were stress ulcer prophylaxis (97.1%) and transfusion administration such as fresh frozen plasma (97.4%) and platelets (94.8%); guidelines with the lowest compliance were ventilator-associated pneumonia prevention (28.7%) and vitamin K administration (34.8%). There was no significant change in compliance over time with observation. Guidelines with binary decision branch points or single-page decision flow diagrams had a higher average compliance of 90.6%. Poor compliance was more often observed with poor perception of guideline trustworthiness and time limitations.

CONCLUSIONS

Measuring guideline compliance, though onerous, allowed for evaluation of current clinical practices and identified actionable areas for institutional improvement.

Knowledge, attitudes and practices towards the diagnosis and management of paediatric sepsis among paediatric physicians and nurses: a cross-sectional study of 21 hospitals in Hubei Province, China

OBJECTIVES

To evaluate the knowledge, attitudes and practices towards diagnosing and managing paediatric sepsis among paediatric physicians and nurses.

DESIGN

A cross-sectional, questionnaire-based study.

SETTING

21 hospitals in Hubei Province between February 2023 and March 2023.

PARTICIPANTS

Paediatric physicians and nurses.

INTERVENTIONS

None.

PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES

The questionnaire contained 35 items across four dimensions (demographic information, knowledge, attitude and practice).

RESULTS

The study included 295 participants (173 women). The average knowledge, attitude and practice scores were 10.93±2.61 points (possible range, 0-20 points), 32.22±2.65 points (possible range, 7-35 points) and 36.54±5.24 points (possible range, 9-45 points), respectively. Knowledge had a direct influence on both attitude (β=0.240, 95% CI 0.136 to 0.365, p=0.009) and practice (β=0.278, 95% CI 0.084 to 0.513, p=0.010), which also indirectly influenced practice through attitude (β=0.162, 95% CI 0.078 to 0.290, p=0.007). Attitude directly influenced practice (β=0.677, 95% CI 0.384 to 0.902, p=0.025). A higher attitude score was associated with good practice (OR=1.392; 95% CI 1.231 to 1.576; p<0.001), while not working in a tertiary hospital reduced the odds of good practice (OR=0.443; 95% CI 0.2390.821; p=0.010).

CONCLUSIONS

The knowledge regarding paediatric sepsis, especially knowledge about sepsis management, is poor among paediatric physicians and nurses in Hubei Province. The findings of this study may facilitate the development and implementation of training programmes to improve the diagnosis and management of paediatric sepsis.

Management of septic shock by pediatric residents: An area for quality improvement

BACKGROUND

Compliance with sepsis guidelines has been shown to be linked to better outcomes in patients with septic shock; however, adherence to these guidelines is not consistent among pediatric healthcare providers. In Tunisia, the management of children with septic shock is initiated by the pediatric resident on call.

METHODS

This study assessed the compliance of Tunisian pediatric residents with the 2020 "Surviving Sepsis Campaign" guidelines and identified factors that could improve compliance. We conducted a cross-sectional national study based on an online survey (SurveyMonkey) presenting a clinical pediatric case of septic shock. The survey was sent to the 200 residents registered in the Tunisian pediatric residency program.

RESULTS

The response rate was 72%, with 144 residents replying to the survey. Up to 72.9% of the residents had good compliance with the 1-h bundle: obtaining blood cultures prior to antibiotics, early administration of intravenous (IV) antibiotics, IV fluid expansion, and vasopressor for fluid-refractory septic shock. Factors independently associated with good compliance were a pediatric intensive care unit rotation (odds ratio [OR]: 5.17, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.44-18.58; p = 0.012), availability of a written protocol (OR: 9.09, 95% CI: 2.67-30.97; p<0.001), an on-call senior supervisor on site (OR: 6.76, 95% CI: 2.24-20.40; p = 0.001), and European Pediatric Advanced Life Support (EPALS) certification (OR: 13.47, 95% CI: 3.05-59.31; p = 0.001).

CONCLUSION

These factors could be considered in the process of a quality improvement strategy that ultimately better promotes performance in pediatric sepsis management and may improve patient outcomes.

Barriers and Proposed Solutions to a Successful Implementation of Pediatric Sepsis Protocols

The implementation of managed protocols contributes to a systematized approach to the patient and continuous evaluation of results, focusing on improving clinical practice, early diagnosis, treatment, and outcomes. Advantages to the adoption of a pediatric sepsis recognition and treatment protocol include: a reduction in time to start fluid and antibiotic administration, decreased kidney dysfunction and organ dysfunction, reduction in length of stay, and even a decrease on mortality. Barriers are: absence of a written protocol, parental knowledge, early diagnosis by healthcare professionals, venous access, availability of antimicrobials and vasoactive drugs, conditions of work, engagement of healthcare professionals. There are challenges in low-middle-income countries (LMIC). The causes of sepsis and resources differ from high-income countries. Viral agent such as dengue, malaria are common in LMIC and initial approach differ from bacterial infections. Some authors found increased or no impact in mortality or increased length of stay associated with the implementation of the SCC sepsis bundle which reinforces the importance of adapting it to most frequent diseases, disposable resources, and characteristics of healthcare professionals. Conclusions: (1) be simple; (2) be precise; (3) education; (5) improve communication; (5) work as a team; (6) share and celebrate results.

Barriers to and Facilitators of Adherence to Clinical Practice Guidelines in the Middle East and North Africa Region: A Systematic Review

The current review aims to investigate the barriers to and facilitators of the adherence to clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. English language studies published between January 2010 and May 2019 were searched on PubMed, Embase, and EBSCO. The barriers were categorized as clinician-related factors, such as lack of awareness of familiarity with the CPGs, and external factors, such as patients, guidelines, and environmental factors. The search identified 295 titles, out of which 15 were included. Environmental factors, specifically lack of time, resources, incentives, availability, and costs of treatment or diagnostic tests, training, and dissemination plans were the most commonly identified barriers. The familiarity with or awareness of healthcare professionals about the guideline, guideline characteristics, lack of agreement with the guidelines and preference in clinical judgment, physician self-efficacy, and motivation were reported to a lesser extent. Few studies reported on the compliance of facilitators with the guidelines including disseminating and advertising guideline materials, education and training on the guidelines, regulatory and financial incentives, and support from institutions. The review highlights that the studies on barriers to and facilitators of compliance with CPGs in the MENA region are limited in number and quality.

Association of Antibiotics Administration Timing With Mortality in Children With Sepsis in a Tertiary Care Hospital of a Developing Country

Objective: To investigate the association between antibiotics administration timing with morbidity and mortality in children with severe sepsis and septic shock, presenting to a tertiary care center in a developing country. Methods: This is a retrospective study of children aged 14 years or younger diagnosed with severe sepsis or septic shock at a free-standing tertiary children's hospital in Saudi Arabia between April 2015 and February 2018. We investigated the association between antibiotic administration timing and pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) mortality, PICU length of stay (LOS), hospital LOS, and ventilation-free days after adjusting for confounders. Results: Among the 189 admissions, 77 patients were admitted with septic shock and 112 with severe sepsis. Overall, the mortality rate was 16.9%. The overall median time from sepsis recognition to antibiotic administration was 105 min (IQR: 65-185.5 min); for septic shock patients, it was 85 min (IQR: 55-148 min), and for severe sepsis, 130 min (IQR: 75.5-199 min). Delayed antibiotic administration (> 3 h) was associated with 3.85 times higher PICU mortality (95% confidence intervals 1.032-14.374) in children with septic shock than in children who receive antibiotics within 3 h, after controlling for severity of illness, age, comorbidities, and volume resuscitation. However, delayed antibiotics administration was not significantly associated with higher PICU mortality in children diagnosed with severe sepsis. Conclusions: Delayed antibiotics administration in children with septic shock admitted to a free-standing children's hospital in a developing country was associated with PICU mortality.

Changes of rScO2 and ScvO2 in children with sepsis-related encephalopathy with different prognoses and clinical features

Clinical features of sepsis-associated encephalopathy in children with different prognoses were analyzed and the changes of regional cerebral oxygen saturation (rScO₂) and central venous oxygen saturation (ScvO₂) were measured. Eighty children with sepsis-related encephalopathy, admitted to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) of the Children's Hospital Affiliated to Zhengzhou University, were enrolled in this study and post-intensive care syndrome (PICS) scoring was performed within 24 h after admission. Patients were separated into groups according to the score results and treatment outcomes. Clinical features, functional tests, imaging examinations, PICS scores, and modified Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) scores were compared among children with varying severities and prognoses. The changes of rScO₂ and ScvO₂ at different time-points among children with different prognoses were measured and compared. According to PICS scores, there were 8 non-critically ill children, 42 critically ill children, and 30 extremely critically ill children. Fifty-two children survived, and the survival rate was 65%. Comparison of the clinical characteristics of children with different conditions showed that deep coma, generalized seizure, severe electroencephalogram (EEG) abnormalities, and the survival of children were significantly associated with the severity of disease (P<0.05). At the same time, compared to the survivors group, the rates of generalized seizures and severe EEG abnormalities were significantly increased in the deceased children group, while the PICS and GCS scores were significantly decreased (P<0.05). rScO₂ values in the deceased group were lower than those in the survival group at different time-points, but the differences were not significant (P>0.05). On the contrary, ScvO₂ values were significantly higher in the deceased group than those in the survivors group (P<0.05). The lower the PICS and GCS scores in children with sepsis-related encephalopathy, the more serious the condition, and the more likely to develop disturbance of consciousness, epileptic seizures, and abnormal EEG changes. Whereas, changes of ScvO₂ are closely related to prognosis.