When abstracting this element, there are two parts –
1) did the patient have IV antibiotics administered? (Was a broad spectrum or other antibiotic administered intravenously in the time window 24 hours prior to or 3 hours following the presentation of severe sepsis?)
AND
2) were the appropriate antibiotics administered? (Was the intravenous (IV) antibiotic administered within 3 hours after the date and time of presentation of severe sepsis consistent with antibiotic selection guidelines detailed in the Notes for Abstraction?)
If you answer “Yes” – that an IV antibiotic was given within 24 hours prior to or 3 hours following the presentation of severe sepsis – you will then have to enter the date and time that the first antibiotic was given within this timeframe. You do not have to check at this point what the antibiotic was – just the date and time that the first antibiotic was given within this time period.
IF the first time an IV antibiotic was given is within the 3 hours AFTER the presentation of severe sepsis (and none was given before the presentation of severe sepsis) THEN you will need to determine if the antibiotic given is appropriate (consistent with antibiotic selection guidelines in the Specifications Manual).
*The article is part of the Registry Partners Quality Division Sepsis Newsletter. Follow the blog to read more articles from the Newsletter or contact us to receive a copy of the full newsletter to share with your team!