Electronic Early Notification of Sepsis in Hospitalized Ward Patients

Stepped-wedge Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial of Electronic Early Notification of Sepsis in Hospitalized Ward Patients (SCREEN)

Screening for sepsis has been recommended by the Surviving Sepsis Campaign Clinical Practice Guidelines to facilitate early identification and early management of sepsis. However, the optimal tool remains unknown.The objective of this trial is to examine the effect of an electronic sepsis alert tool on reducing hospital mortailty in patients admitted to medical-surgical-oncology wards.

The study aims to examine the effect of screening for sepsis using an electronic sepsis alert versus no alert in hospitalized patients admitted to wards using an active sepsis alert system compared with wards with no active (masked) sepsis alert system on hospital mortality by day 90.

The wards will be randomized in a stepped-wedge cluster fashion.

Ward level inclusion and exclusion criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

1. Inpatient wards, defined as wards used to manage inpatients, in the five Ministry of National Guard Health Affairs (MNGHA) hospitals, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Cardiology, transplant, pediatric, obstetric wards
2. Intensive Care Units and Emergency Department
3. Operating rooms
4. Outpatients
5. Day care wards, endoscopy, outpatient procedure areas, hemodialysis units.

Patient level inclusion and exclusion criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

1. Aged 14 years or older
2. Checked in as inpatient status to one of the study ward

Exclusion Criteria:

1. No commitment for full life support on the time of arrival to the study ward