Improving time to antibiotics and implementing the "Sepsis 6"

It has been shown that completion of the "Sepsis 6" within 1 hour reduces mortality (1). This project aims to assess compliance with this standard and evaluate the effectiveness of a sepsis improvement plan in a district general hospital in the UK. A baseline audit was performed, examining case notes of "septic patients" retrospectively (those on intravenous antibiotics). Compliance with each element of the sepsis six plus time to first antibiotic (TTFA) was assessed. A sepsis improvement plan was introduced consisting of staff education, reinforcing vigilance, regular multidisciplinary meetings and incorporating a standardised approach through the use of a sepsis proforma. Following the introduction of this, and after some refinement, the average time to antibiotic fell from 6 hours to 1.4 hours. In conclusion, an educational drive along with a systematic change in processes has seen reduced TTFA along with enhanced compliance with most elements of the sepsis 6. Through continued assessment and further improving upon systematic processes with continued education we would anticipate consistent improvement in the management of septic patients.