Improving Timely Antibiotic Administration in Pediatric Sepsis and Septic Shock in a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit

Abstract

Background: Since 2016, our hospital joined the Improving Pediatric Sepsis Outcomes (IPSO) initiative, a national effort to improve pediatric sepsis care by incorporating bundled standardized care into the Emergency Department, Inpatient and Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) settings. Early administration of antibiotics is a hallmark of appropriate sepsis care. Delay in antibiotic administration correlates to morbidity and mortality in pediatric patients. Our PICU baseline time from antibiotic order to administration (AOTA) was 82 minutes. Objectives: We aimed to reduce …