Ambulance-led Sepsis Care: systems and risk factor assessment V1.3
Research type
Research Study
Full title
An evaluation of ambulance-led sepsis care and factors contributing to patient safety incidents in order to reduce pre-hospital sepsis care errors.
IRAS ID
228611
Contact name
P John Clarkson
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 11 months, 28 days
Research summary
Sepsis is a life-threatening condition that occurs when the body's response to an infection injures its own tissues and organs. The earlier sepsis is recognised and treated in a person, the better it is for their recovery. There are known to be 260,000 cases of sepsis and more than 44,000 sepsis-related deaths each year in the United Kingdom. As two-thirds of sepsis patients are initially seen in emergency departments (most arriving by ambulance), we know ambulance staff have a key role in sepsis care improvements.
This study will begin with an evaluation of ambulance service Serious Incident and Coroner reports to understand errors that occur in pre-hospital sepsis care. A review of sepsis care and patient safety published papers will also occur to obtain an overview of the current knowledge.
Service users (these will include patients, family members or carers), ambulance staff and General Practitioners will then be invited to take part in a group meeting or interview to discuss their experiences of having or treating an infection that required calling for an ambulance. They will be asked to discuss events that occur following an emergency ‘999’ or non-emergency ‘111’ call and the factors that prevent care being received by patients and how these could be addressed.
The information obtained during these activities will be used with materials developed specifically for risk assessments in healthcare, to help prevent problems in ambulance sepsis care before they occur.
REC name
East of England - Cambridge South Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
17/EE/0390
Date of REC Opinion
8 Nov 2017
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion