Association between emergency department sepsis order set design and delay to second dose piperacillin-tazobactam administration.

BACKGROUND: Delay to first antibiotic dose in patients with sepsis has been associated with increased mortality. Second dose antibiotic delay has also been linked to worsened patient outcomes. Optimal methods to decrease second dose delay are currently unclear. The primary objective of this study was to evaluate the association between updating an emergency department (ED) sepsis order set design from one-time doses to scheduled antibiotic frequencies and delay to administration of second piperacillin-tazobactam dose. METHODS: This retrospective cohort study was conducted at eleven hospitals in a large, integrated health system and included adult patients treated in the ED with at least one dose of piperacillin-tazobactam ordered through an ED sepsis order set over a two year period. Patients were excluded if they received less than two doses of piperacillin-tazobactam. Midway through the study period, the enterprise-wide ED sepsis order set was updated to include scheduled antibiotic frequencies. Two patient cohorts receiving piperacillin-tazobactam were compared: those in the year before the order set update and those in the year post-update. The primary outcome was major delay, defined as an administration delay >25% of the recommended dosing interval, which was evaluated with multivariable logistic regression and interrupted time series analysis. RESULTS: 3219 patients were included: 1222 in the pre-update group and 1997 in the post-update group. The proportion of patients who experienced major second dose delay was significantly lower in the post-update group (32.7% vs 25.6%, p < 0.01; adjusted OR 0.64, 95% CI 0.52 to 0.78). No between-group difference was detected in the slope of monthly major delay frequency, but there was a significant level change (post-update change -10%, 95% CI -17.9% to -1.9%). CONCLUSIONS: Including scheduled antibiotic frequencies in ED sepsis order sets is a pragmatic mechanism to decrease delays in second antibiotic doses.

Impact of a standardized order set and medication-use process on medication error rates in sexual assault patients presenting to the emergency department for HIV nonoccupational postexposure prophylaxis.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the impact of a standardized order set and medication-use process on antiretroviral medication errors in sexual assault (SA) patients presenting to the emergency department (ED) for nonoccupational postexposure prophylaxis (nPEP). METHODS: In November 2019, a multidisciplinary group collaborated on an initiative to improve the nPEP medication-use process for SA patients presenting to the EDs within a large integrated health system. Electronic medical records of patients 13 years of age or older who presented for SA examination and were prescribed nPEP during the pre- (February 2018-August 2019) and poststandardization (February 2020-August 2021) periods were included. The primary objective was to compare the proportion of patients experiencing a medication error before and after SA/nPEP process standardization. Data regarding the following medication errors were evaluated: incomplete regimen; inappropriate/duplicative regimen; dosing, frequency, or quantity prescribed error; and initiation of nPEP without an HIV test. RESULTS: Two hundred six patients met criteria for inclusion. A higher proportion of patients experienced medication errors in the prestandardization group relative to the poststandardization group (46.5% vs 11.9%, P < 0.001). Fifty-five errors were observed in the prestandardization group, compared to 16 errors in the poststandardization group. The majority of errors in the prestandardization group were directly related to antiretroviral regimens, while the majority of errors in the poststandardization group involved initiation of nPEP without an HIV test. CONCLUSION: The standardization of the SA/nPEP process was associated with significantly lower medication error rates. Optimization of medication-use technology is an effective strategy in reducing medication errors.