Abstract
Introduction: Sepsis is a life-threatening medical emergency and a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Reductions in time to antibiotics in patients presenting with sepsis or septic shock are associated with reduced mortality, and Surviving Sepsis Campaign guidelines recommend antibiotics within 1 h of recognition. Pharmacists are well-equipped to help navigate the therapeutic and operational challenges associated with achieving this goal. Objectives: To assess the association of pharmacist involvement in sepsis response with time to antibiotics in hospitalized patients with sepsis and septic shock. Methods: A systematic review of the following databases was conducted: PubMed/MEDLINE, Embase, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), and Web of Science. Studies must have included a designated role of an individual pharmacist in the management of sepsis or septic shock and not be considered an operational change. The primary outcome of interest was time to antibiotic administration, with secondary outcomes including intensive care unit (ICU) and hospital length of stay as well as in-hospital mortality. Results: We identified 10 studies including 1772 patients with sepsis or septic shock that evaluated a sepsis response in which a pharmacist was included. Studies included patients in the ICU, emergency department, and hospital ward setting. Seven studies demonstrated a significant reduction in time to antibiotics, with two other studies supporting this conclusion in extrapolation or sensitivity analysis. There was not a consistent reduction in ICU or hospital length of stay nor in-hospital mortality between those interventions involving a pharmacist compared with their defined control groups. Conclusion: Pharmacist involvement in sepsis response, often as part of a multiprofessional team-based approach to sepsis care, is associated with a reduced time to antibiotic administration for hospitalized patients with sepsis or septic shock.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 942-953 |
Number of pages | 12 |
Journal | JACCP Journal of the American College of Clinical Pharmacy |
Volume | 6 |
Issue number | 8 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Aug 2023 |
Bibliographical note
Publisher Copyright:© 2022 Pharmacotherapy Publications, Inc.
Funding
This project was supported in part by the National Institutes of Health under award K23DK128562 (PI: A.H.F.). The funding source had no role in study design; data collection, analysis, or interpretation; writing the report; or the decision to submit the report for publication. Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the NIH.
Funders | Funder number |
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National Institutes of Health (NIH) | K23DK128562 |
Keywords
- antibiotic
- pharmacist
- sepsis
- septic shock
- systematic review
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Pharmacy
- Pharmaceutical Science
- Pharmacology (medical)