An EHR-based tool deployed by Cambridge University Hospitals in the U.K. has shown promising results in diagnosing patients who show symptoms of sepsis, the hospital announced April 4.
Here are three things to know about the EHR alert.
1. The hospital's Sepsis Action Group — which includes clinicians from the emergency department, acute medicine, infectious diseases, rapid response and digital team — developed and launched the tool in 2014. It comprises a series of electronic prompts within the hospital's Epic EHR system.
2. The prompts guide a clinician through the actions and tests needed to diagnose sepsis, should a patient's clinical note include observations that align with criteria for sepsis. The electronic tool also recommends correct dose and frequency of antibiotics for patients diagnosed with sepsis.
3. Since the EHR alert's launch, various departments at the hospital have reported between a 50 and 70 percent increase in the proportion of patients with sepsis that receive antibiotics within an hour of diagnosis.