Timely antibiotic administration in febrile neutropenia

204 Background: The University of Illinois currently lacks a standard process to ensure timely antibiotic administration for patients with febrile neutropenia. The Infectious disease society of America (IDSA) guidelines recommend administration of antibiotics within two hours. Given the variability in patient encounters, we sought to implement an early identification and interventional strategy in the ambulatory setting for febrile neutropenic patients. A retrospective chart review over 10 weeks demonstrated that of 40 patients diagnosed with neutropenia 15 % (N = 6) had febrile neutropenia. Of these 6 patients, 50% (N = 3) received antibiotics within the IDSA time frame. We aimed to increase the percentage of febrile neutropenic patients receiving antibiotics within 2 hours from 50% to 100% in 8 weeks. Methods: A focus group at our quarterly morbidity mortality and improvement conference brainstormed a list of causes of delay in antibiotic initiation based on an index case discussion. A task force generated a pareto chart after affinity sorting the prior list, and created actual and ideal process maps, from identification of neutropenic patients to patient disposition. A standard operative protocol (SOP) was developed involving the creation and implementation of an electronic provider generated neutropenia check list triggering specific actions per IDSA recommendations, and a standardized order set including STAT cultures, and STAT antibiotics. Results: The febrile neutropenia SOP will be piloted over an 8 week period starting in early November in four ambulatory settings. The primary outcome data is the time from event to antibiotic administration. Process data will include time from event to antibiotic order, time from antibiotic order to administration and compliance with high risk neutropenic check list. We plan to assess our interventions every 3-4 weeks, and pilot at least 2 PDSA cycles within the next 8 weeks. Conclusions: Although febrile neutropenia is a recognized medical emergency with clear guidelines on treatment, not all patients may receive antibiotics within the appropriate time frame. It is therefore imperative for institutions to be aware of their level of IDSA compliance and implement appropriate quality improvements as required.